Of Red Eyes And Shadows
by ForeverReading24
Summary: Being reborn was not part of my plan. In fact, I only wanted to get to my apartment and into my bed when I left the party. Life, however, had other intentions. Now, here I am, a baby with an older brother who would one day kill me.
1. Chapter 1

BETA: Cmedina1

* * *

YEAR ZERO

The body beside me was warm and soft.

Hm, really good as a pillow.

—Wait, what?!

Startled, I opened my eyes wide. I hadn't brought anyone home with me after the party. At least, I didn't think so. Racking my brain, I tried to remember as I struggled to raise my head to peer at whoever it was that was lying beside me, but the task proved to be almost impossible. I hadn't drunk that much yesterday; not that I recalled, anyway.

But how the heck did I get home?

—Did I even make it home?

God, don't tell me I had left with some dude? No, no, that couldn't be it. I distinctly remember leaving alone and getting in my car and —

— the rest was a blank.

Try as I may, I couldn't come up with how I gotten to be where I was.

Where was I anyway?

Moving my eyes around (since that was the only thing I seemed to be able to do), I realized I was in a crib not even a normal, full sized bed. How the heck had I been able to fit in it?

There was no possible explanation for that, unless I had shrunk overnight, which I found ridiculous.

The opening of a door brought me out of my panicked musings. Finally, someone would be able to tell me what happened… if it wasn't some robber… or worse. Nope, nope, don't think about that. Everything is fine. You have not been kidnapped, you're just in some stranger's house not knowing how you got here.

Yeah, that sounded like the definition of kidnapped to me.

The woman who opened the door made her way to the wooden crib that represented my captivity. She was beautiful with long, raven black hair; pale, alabaster skin; and big, dark eyes framed by equally long and dark lashes. There was no way she could be a kidnapper; she looked so young (maybe a few years older than my twenty) and happy, there was just no way. She kind of reminded me of someone, but I couldn't recall who.

I tried to ask her what the in the seven hells was going on, but only gurgle sounds left my mouth. For some reason that made her smile. Not to be rude or anything, but she was creeping me out.

"Are you done with your nap, Kana?"

Kana? Who the hell was that? That was certainly not my name. Shit, what if they had sold me and this woman had bought me and given me a new name? Was I supposed to be her servant now? Oh Lord, please no, I promise I'll go to church every Sunday and will never again use your name in vain.

With practiced easy, she swooped down and pick me up in one smooth motion.

What. The. Hell?

"Sh, sh, Kana, Okaa-san is here now. I'll take care of you, my baby."

Just who the hell are you calling a baby, woman?! I wanted to scream at her to let me go this instant, but my vocal cords weren't cooperating with me; instead, more gurgling sounds came out. This was beyond frustrating, how was I supposed to communicate?

Seeing no other way, I turned my small, chubby hands towards the crib, making grabbing motions towards it…

Small, chubby hands?

Wide eyed, I noted that yes, my hands were the exact same as my older sister's baby. That couldn't be, I had to be hallucinating.

The woman cooed at me, "You want to go back to your brother, eh? Okay, let's put you back on your bed."

As smoothly as she lifted me, she put me back, side by side of the dark-haired baby that occupied the other side of the crib.

Did she just call him my brother?

That couldn't be right. I didn't have any brothers, much less one that was a baby. Then again, so was I by the looks of my arms. Was I dreaming of the time when I was one? That wouldn't explain the woman that I had never seen before in my life, though I did remember her from somewhere, I just didn't know where. Jesus, was I adopted and this was my memory telling me so? No, that couldn't be. I was the middle child out of the three daughters my parents had and we had a clear family resemblance; this woman was in no way related and neither was the baby beside me.

I couldn't take it anymore. I screamed. It was too much, I didn't know what the hell was going on and I didn't like it.

The woman immediately picked me up, hugging me close to her chest, which only made me scream and cry all the harder. A second round of screaming accompanied my own, telling me the boy woke up. Panicking, the woman did her best to calm both of us, but neither settled down until we were both spent, passing out.

* * *

YEAR ONE

I was not in my world.

That was the conclusion I had come to after a few long months of denial. In fact, I had been reincarnated and, guess where?

The Naruto Universe.

Pretty freaky, huh?

How did I arrive to this conclusion? Well, when my brain decided it had enough of the screaming, crying, and sleeping I did every day, it started to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

I had died, that was for sure. How? That was one of the question I still didn't have an answer to. My guess was that I had either fallen asleep while driving or just plain old crashed while driving. Brilliant, right? It still didn't explain how or why I had been reborn into the Uchiha main family.

Yes, I was the younger twin sister of dearest Itachi Uchiha, or should I say Uchiha Itachi. That was something I needed to get used to, saying the last name before the first.

Anyway, I was one year old now — again — and was learning how to pronounce words. It was a pain to be honest, but there was no worse pain than teething. Ugh, thank God I didn't remember that experience from my last life.

Mikoto, the woman who had given birth to me, was an angel. Seriously, I didn't know how she had managed to not go crazy from all the sleepless nights I made her go through. It was a miracle, really, that she hadn't decided to smother me with a pillow in my sleep and be done with it; or it could be Itachi for all I knew since we slept on the same bed.

That was something I still had trouble believing: Itachi was my older brother; by a few minutes, but older nonetheless.

The kid who grew up to give everything for his village was my twin. I think my brain fried after trying to wrap itself around that piece of information. It could only mean that I was destined to die again around the time I was thirteen. I hoped and prayed against that with all my might; if Itachi loved Sasuke enough to keep him alive, wouldn't he do the same for me? I sincerely hoped so, though a part of me doubted it. If the weasel was able to kill his parents, he could certainly kill me, too.

God, it was a lot to take in and think about, good thing I had the time, if not the energy; I never realized just how much babies needed to sleep.

Another thing I should have expected, but completely caught me off guard, was Uzumaki Kushina.

Itachi and I had been playing in the living room when the redhead arrived, making herself right at home. I had forgotten Mikoto and she were supposed to be friends. From preconceived ideas, I had thought I would dislike the woman, but Kushina turned out to be really likable, if a little loud sometimes. She had brought Itachi and I gifts, a plush toy for each. I really liked the stuffed teddy she had gotten me, it was a soft pink with a white belly and had blue eyes; I never went to sleep without it, it was comforting. Itachi had received a similar bear, his was a baby blue with the white belly and black eyes.

We met Namikaze Minato a few days later, not that Itachi would remember it, though I had my doubts — the kid was too smart even if he was one year old. It seemed that Minato had recently come back from a mission, if Kushina's babbling about him being gone for too long was any indication. The man left an impression on me, I had to say; with his sunny blond hair, height, and bright blue eyes, he just exuded charisma and I could clearly see how and why anyone would follow him. It really was no wonder he became the Yondaime Hokage, he just was the kind of person who took care of his comrades.

As the days and months passed, it felt as if we spent more time in the company of the Uzumaki than that of our father, or Tou-sama as Okaa-san had instructed us to call him. He was always busy and didn't have time to waste on watching his kids take their first steps or say their first word. Unsurprisingly, Itachi had started walking before I did. I was too lazy to move and it was really convenient that Mikoto could just passed me whatever it was that I wanted, but I did win at saying the first word (could you blame me? I was sick and tired of not being able to communicate what I wanted, let them think I was just a small prodigy).

"O-Okaa," I had started, testing out the word, not wanting to be too perfect either, "Okaa-san"

Mikoto had gushed at me, calling me her baby girl; she had been so happy. Itachi, not wanting to be left behind, opened his mouth from the floor where he was sitting, playing with a rubber kunai, and uttered the same word, making the woman pick both of us up for a tight hug.

* * *

YEAR FOUR

Four years had passed since my waking up in this world. I had come to accept the fact that this was my new reality and would not be able to return home, not that I had a way to begin with.

The relationship I had with my parents was not the greatest one, thought I got along much better with Mikoto than Fugaku, who really was a stern man and hardly ever smiled. The Uchiha Matriarch was such a gentle person I couldn't really hate her, even though she was strict; Fugaku, on the other hand, I could barely stand. He didn't pay much attention to either of his children, preferring to spend his days in his study or at the Uchiha Military Police Headquarters. However, it was what he did after Itachi and I turned four that made me hate him.

Bodies could be seen littering the ground for as far as the eye could reach, the blood that had stained the forest floor being washed away by the heavy rain that poured down on us. It was not the place a father should have taken his two young children.

"Remember, this is a battlefield." Fugaku's voice commanded to be heard above any other sound, his words cutting through the roar of the rain.

I resisted the urge to turn around and run away as fast as I could, swallowing the bile that threatened to come out of my mouth. The taste of vomit was the only thing that kept me from fainting at the sight in front of me. It was one thing to watch war movies and another thing entirely to be exposed to the real deal.

As if he hadn't traumatized us enough with just showing us the horrible cadavers with the pain of their deaths still etched on their faces like masks, he pushed the knife in a little deeper.

"In a few years, you both will be a ninja too. This war might end, but the reality of the ninja does not change. This is the world you will step into."

No, no, no, no. I wouldn't die like that. I refused to be thrown into ninja training and die as if my life had no other purpose than dying. Unasked for, the image of Itachi a few seconds before he died, thick lines of blood coming out from his mouth, burns on his arm, his clothes and body dirty, and a soft smile on his face as he reached to poke Sasuke's forehead with bloody fingers took the front of my mind. Without thinking, my eyes moved to look at the child on the other side of the Uchiha clan head. He was shaking and I couldn't tell if it was from the cold of the rain or the horror of the battlefield, but it was in that moment that I knew I would do anything in my power to prevent that future from happening.

"Father." It was the first word he had uttered since we came here, "Why did you bring us here…"

Fugaku took a while to respond and I could barely quench the rage that begun burning like a roaring inferno in the pit of my stomach at the man who called himself our father. "You are clever boy."

Silently, Fugaku moved his hands to rest on the top of our heads. I flinched slightly at the touch, while Itachi didn't give any kind of reaction.

"I wanted to make sure the both of you saw this reality."

I bit down on my lip harshly to keep from scoffing out loud. So, what if this was the world we lived in? If no one did anything to change it, the cycle would just continue and more innocent (and maybe not so innocent as ninja couldn't really be counted as such) people would continue dying and for what? What was the point of all the needless death? I didn't understand how the shinobi world worked, but I wasn't going to stick around it and watch the brother I had grown to love be used and thrown away as if his life didn't matter one bit, not to mention my life; the life that I had come to slowly accept and get used to, I was not about to let it end like that. The resolved burned brightly inside of me, like a slow spark that had been given life and was being stocked to become a campfire.

"This is the world Kana and I live in…"

I didn't know how to react to the fact that Itachi had — consciously or not — grouped me in with him.

"That's right, Itachi. Ninja are creatures that fight. Never forget what you've seen here today. Neither do you, Kana."

How could I? There was no way I would be able to sleep after witnessing this horror. It would be what fueled me to do better, to be better so that I would become untouchable to anyone trying to do me harm — to do me and my brother harm. I would never forget the lesson that Fugaku wanted to teach us: to become powerful enough to make it out alive from this hell. Become powerful enough that everyone would know my name and become scared at the sound of it.

Survival. That's what it came down to. Survive until the day when Uzumaki Naruto, the child of the prophesy brought peace to the world.

Something unlike anything I'd ever felt like burnt into my eyes, making me gasp in slight pain and I welcomed the distraction by biting the inside of my mouth. Soon, a coppery, tangy taste filled it and I knew I had drawn blood.

Itachi rubbed his eyes, putting soon a hand to his chest, making me panic. Was he okay? Was he going to pass out? Had he awakened his Sharingan? No, that couldn't be it. The Sharingan could only be awakened in a life or death scenario and this — as macabre as it was — was definitely not it.

"What's wrong?" Tou-sama asked, but my brother didn't respond.

It wasn't long after that we left, not sparing a backward glance at what we left behind.

Neither Itachi nor I were the same after that.

My older brother took his ninja training to a whole new level, spending any possible amount of free time he had honing his skills. Not one to be left behind, I did the same; however, I also decided to look into Fuuinjutsu. There were some scrolls in the library about the art and Uzumaki Kushina being Okaa-sama's friend helped a lot, but I wanted to know about the seals that could only be activated with the Sharingan — mine, to be precise. Though I didn't have it just yet, I knew it would be only a matter of time before I experienced something that would awaken the Dojutsu.

Chakra had been somewhat easier for me to access than it had been for Itachi, even though he had gotten the hang of it a little faster than I did. See, I had more spiritual chakra than I had physical, making it a little bit harder for me to balance out he needed amount to make the leaf stick to my forehead. Once I got the exact measurement down, though, it became easier to control the flow of what I needed to build up without wasting anything in the process. One thing I had learned from reading the manga was that you didn't waste chakra; especially not during a fight against stronger opponents. I didn't want to be one of those cases where the ninja couldn't flee from a fight because he or she didn't have enough chakra to enhance the muscles to run faster or to perform a Kawarimi or Shunshin to get away. During any fight, I wanted to be the last one standing and so, I trained till I dropped, right next to my genius of a brother.

* * *

The war didn't last that much longer.

The Third Hokage, though the war had been going greatly in our favor, decided — against a lot of people's wishes — to not demand reparations from Iwagakure in a show of goodwill. In exchange of this last rule, Sarutobi Hiruzen stepped down, allowing for the next Hokage to be chosen. None other than Namikaze Minato, hailed hero of Konohagakure, became the Yondaime.

It was a time of peace. The village was slowly, but surely, building itself back up from the tumult it had fallen into during the war. Nevertheless, I continued training diligently, pestering Kushina at the same time. She ended up giving me some of her scrolls on beginning Fuuin, which I later returned (after I copied everything into my own scrolls).

Days passed and I saw less and less of Itachi. Both of us, in our own little bubbles, kept missing each other and, to be honest, I started to miss my twin. No, we weren't joined at the hip. Each of us did our own thing when we wanted to, but the ache in my chest whenever I spent too long without him pestered me to the point that I sought him out.

"Okaa-sama?" I called into the kitchen where I knew she spent most of her time, even though she was heavily pregnant, as I come back into the house from the garden where I had been practicing how to make explosive tags. So far, I was looking forward to making huge explosions happen.

"Yes, Kana?" She inquired, stirring the contents in a pot.

"Is onii-sama home?" I could send out my chakra to check but wasn't feeling like it at the moment.

"He just went to your Tou-sama's study."

The tone she used had me frowning. What could be so bad about going to bother Fugaku? I ended using my chakra to sense where he was. It turned out he was in his room, but the other signatures in father's study left me uneasy; what could they want with Fugaku?

Not wanting to intrude, I went straight up and to my brother's room. Knocking before entering, I closed the door silently behind me.

Itachi was on his bed, reading through some scrolls on shurikenjutsu.

Without waiting for him to acknowledge my presence, I sat next to him, making him shift to give me some space and placed my head on his shoulder, reading alongside him.

After a few minutes, though, I was bored.

"Do you think it'll be a boy or a girl?" I commented out of the blue.

Even though I couldn't see his expression, I could tell I caught him by surprise.

"I don't mind, as long as it's healthy." Was his response after a moment.

I rolled my eyes at the non-answer, "That's not what I meant, you know."

"I know." There was a smirk in his voice.

"I think it's going to be a boy." I declared. Yeah, right. I already know who our little brother was going to be. "And he'll cling to you and you'll love him above everyone else." I couldn't resist adding.

"What makes you think he'll cling to me instead of you?"

I made a frustrated sound in the back of my throat, "You're the elder and a boy, too. It's normal he'll be more interested in spending time with you than with his sister."

That brought a chuckle out of him. The sound warmed my heart; it had been too long since I heard Itachi laugh.

"Are you jealous?"

I let out a snort, "Of the pain in the butt it'll be having a snotty little brat following me around, demanding attention? I don't think so."

A comfortable silence enveloped us. My brother continued reading about the best ways to throw shuriken while I stared at his graceful, but deadly hands unrolling the scroll.

"He won't be like us." I whispered. Itachi's hands stopped. There was no need for me to explain what I meant with that remark. One thing Itachi and I had in common besides our soft raven black hair, big dark eyes, ivory skin, and training regimen was the fact that we could understand what the other one meant, even if we talked in cryptic words.

"He won't go through a war." _He'll be innocent,_ was what he meant. Sasuke wouldn't see the corpses of the fallen ninja like we had. He would never have that image imprinted in his brain, following him around with every step he took. But, he would. His clan's massacre would make sure that he never forgot the lesson to survive, to become stronger, and do everything in his power to avenge their deaths.


	2. Chapter 2

BETA: Cmedina1

* * *

YEAR FIVE

Sasuke was born on July twenty-three.

We hadn't been permitted to go to the hospital.

Instead we now sat on the floor, legs tucked underneath them as we peered down at the baby who was looking with unseeing eyes at everything.

Seeing little Sasuke, so small and innocent not the crazy avenger he had become, left me numb. It meant in only a couple of months Naruto would be born, Tobi would attack, and Konoha would become a village of death _like the battlefield_.

As much as I didn't want to think about it, the images of that day rushed to the front of my mind, leaving my body cold. It wasn't something I ever wanted to see again, if I was being honest with myself. I was scared — terrified — of fighting, of being the one with that look on my face when I died.

It was also the reason I trained so hard.

As if knowing what I was thinking, Itachi took hold of my hand lying limply on my side, the warmth seeping through my bones; his chakra soothing me.

It was one of the reasons he had become my anchor in this deadly world; I knew I could always count on him to take the pain away. In the back recess of my mind, I knew it wouldn't always be so. There were things he wouldn't be able to protect me from and I wasn't looking forward to the day that happened.

Sometimes, I wished I could just escape from this reality and make my own; however, I knew I couldn't do that. I was an adult in the body of a five-year-old, I needed to not just be responsible but come to terms with the reality Fugaku had shoved in my face. It was the life of a ninja the one I had chosen, death was what awaited me and, no matter how much Naruto was going to change that, I couldn't live my life waiting for him to turn the world around.

If I wanted change, I had to take matters into my own hands.

Itachi, focused on his new brother, gently touched little Sasuke's cheek getting a startled twitch from the baby. I suppressed a giggle at the sight of my elder brother shock. It wasn't everyday Itachi could be so easily taken by surprise by anything, much less show his emotions so clearly on his face.

Okaa-san, however, didn't try to restrain herself as her own giggles suddenly filled the room.

"Sasuke."

It was the first time I heard the name spoken out loud. Mother said it with so much love and devotion in her tone, so unlike when she talked to Itachi. Not that she loved him any less but, in her eyes, Sasuke and I were her babies while Itachi would one day be the Clan Head; he didn't belong to her, while we did.

It was maddening.

Itachi would never receive the same amount of cuddling from her as we would. The only reason I was allowed to train to become a kunoichi was because I had shown promise of being a genius, otherwise, Fugaku would've completely ignored me and Mikoto would've tried to make me into a future perfect wife.

Sorry, but I didn't want that life.

"Sasuke."

The soft voice of my brother made me focus back on what was happening. Itachi, the brave soul, made another attempt at touching the baby with steady fingers. Sasuke didn't flinch at the contact this time.

Seeing them like that made something warm explode in my chest. This was a precious moment between the two original brothers and I felt like an outsider. I wasn't supposed to be here, let alone exist in this world. Yet here I was, like a parasite living in a body that wasn't mine.

"Don't you want to touch him, Kara?" Mikoto asked gently.

"I—" I didn't know, honestly, but I couldn't outright shun a baby.

Copying my brother, I touch Sasuke's tiny hand. It was so soft, the same way Itachi's had been when he was that age. It felt surreal, like an out of body experience to be touching something so perfect. Like meeting my little sister for the first time all over again.

Looking into the dark orbs of my mother, I asked instead, "Can I hold him?"

Mikoto hesitated but allowed me to do so.

With great care, I took the bundle of cloth that wrapped around Sasuke's small form like a cocoon, making sure his head was supported as he rested in his arms.

The baby whimpered, moving around. I made shushing noises, rocking him back and forth in my arms to calm him. Pretty quickly, he got used to it and settled down, as if he knew he was safe.

On my side, Itachi leaned over, his eyes full of adoration glued to Sasuke; our little brother.

It was in that instant, holding such a precious life that I knew Itachi wasn't the only one in my heart anymore. Sasuke, with his chubby cheeks and curious eyes as he looked at both of us, had wormed himself inside it.

Nothing was going to keep me from protecting them both as best as I could.

Not even this reality we lived in.

* * *

It was a warm day as I sat outside on the wooden porch.

Sweat dripped down my exposed arms and face as I practiced a basic storage array on a scroll. Kushina had cancelled on me, claiming she wasn't feeling well.

I had my doubts about that.

The woman was pregnant and, if word got out, the baby she carried would not be safe from anyone. It was no secret Iwa and the Tsuchikage hated her husband, the Yondaime, for killing around a thousand of their shinobi single-handedly.

Staring down at the array, I made sure there weren't any mistakes before activating it with a small surge of chakra.

A set of kunai and shuriken 'poof-ed' on the paper, visible after the cloud of smoke cleared.

A huge grin stretched my lips at the sight of my hard work paying off. I had just linked two storage scrolls together, what was there not to be excited about?

Nevertheless, now I knew why there was such a limited amount of Fūinjutsu masters and why they had been so feared, Fūinjutsu was hard.

First, to have perfect calligraphy (that had taken me longer to accomplish than I cared to admit), then understand the basic arrays and their functions, understand the scripts and which ones worked in conjunction with others and which ones didn't. Honestly, I still had a long way to go before I could create my own seals, but it was something I was giddily waiting for.

Right now, though, I could brag.

Focusing, I searched for my brother's chakra. Sure enough, he was training at the grove just a few meters away from the house, easy enough to find. However, there was another signature out there; one I didn't recognize.

Slowly, I pushed chakra into my legs. It was never good to just flood your muscles with chakra in one swoop — much less if you didn't have the necessary chakra control to prevent the accidental burning of the muscles from the inside out — I found that out the hard way and couldn't walk normally for almost a week; thank God for medical ninja! After that, I did everything I could to refine as best as I could my chakra control and had gotten pretty good at it, but I wasn't about to repeat the incident.

I made a point of suppressing my chakra before going after whomever was with my brother, making the least noise possible as I ran.

Another kid, taller than Itachi was the cause of my worries. He too was dressed in the standard Uchiha garb: dark blue, high collared shirt and dark blue shorts. I made a small sign at Itachi to stay quiet as I fixed my hold on one of the kunai I had brought with me. My brother didn't say anything, not giving any outside indication he had even seen me.

I was only a step behind the older boy when he turned around and grabbed the wrist of the hand I was holding the kunai with.

"You breathe too hard you know."

As shocked as I was that I had been discovered, it didn't compare to the astonishment of being gazed at with a fully matured Sharingan, especially in the eyes of a kid.

"Guess that's something I need to work on." I said once I recovered enough to not look like a fish out of water, shrugging just for effect.

He didn't see to find anything wrong, just gave a small smile, red eyes turning black. "You must be Uchiha Kana, right? Itachi's younger sister?"

One eyebrow rose in surprise at the lack of honorifics, giving my brother a look from the corner of my eyes. Just how long had they known each other for this kid to call Itachi by his name?

As if knowing what I was thinking, Itachi spoke up, "I met him today, imouto."

This time my other eyebrow rose to accompany the other one close to my hairline, "You work fast, Uchiha-san," Which had the kid chuckling good-naturedly, though his smile faded almost instantly.

"It's either that or be killed, Kana-chan."

Even though his tone didn't change, I could detect a hint of sadness and (maybe) guilt behind the words. I studied the kid a little closer. He had really messy, dark hair; dark, big eyes framed by long, defined lashes that curled at the ends; and a broader nose than what was law for the normally aristocratic looking Uchiha. If this was who I thought it was—

"That might be so most of the time." I agreed, nodding slightly, "You still have me at a disadvantage, however." I gave a gently pull, remind him that he still had my wrist encased in his grip.

Apologizing, he quickly let go. Lowering my hands, I took the opportunity to move next to brother, making sure he wasn't harmed in any way.

Motioning towards the other kid, I said, "So that's why you didn't let me come with you today, you made a friend."

"Hey!" Came the complaint, "I'm not a 'that'. My name is Uchiha Shisui." _So I was right, this is the famed Shunshin no Shisui._

Itachi raised one eyebrow, ignoring the older boy, "You didn't want to join, if I remember correctly."

Chuckling, I turned back towards Shisui, who was pouting, "You must be pretty good if you already have a hitai-ate. How old are you anyway?"

Puffing his chest, he jerked a thumb towards himself, "Of course I am and I'm eight."

"Really? You don't look older than six."

That deflated him really quickly.

"Kana-chan~"

I didn't even bother to stifle the giggle that erupted from me with my hand. It was funny. I couldn't believe it but, for the first time in years, I was having fun and it wasn't because of my brother, who had a smirk on his face. This was the first time he genuinely laughed in a while, I realized with a pang. Maybe hanging out with Shisui wouldn't be too bad, not that I would impede it in any way since they were destined to be best friends.

 _But Shisui would commit suicide anyway_.

The thought sobered me up.

"I haven't seen you around here as often as I have seen Itachi." Shisui commented, recovering from the blow.

"Wow, stalker." I said, earning another smirk from Itachi and a pout from the older boy. "That's because I get Fūinjutsu lessons every other day."

The caught Shisui's attention, which was already focused on me, if the widening of his eyes was any indication. "You mean like the Yondaime?"

I nodded.

"You must be really good then." He said with smile stretching over his face.

Shrugging, I commented, "I can always be better."

"That's it, then, you should come here and practice with us." He decided all on his own.

I blinked in surprise at the offer. I never expected that. I thought it would just be the two of them helping each other and furthering their friendship. I almost declined the invitation because of it; however, another side of me thought about the merits of learning ninja tricks from one of the best shinobi Konoha would ever have.

"You have a deal." Smiling, I struck out the hand that wasn't holding the kunai, which Shisui immediately took in his own warm one.

* * *

Tonight was the night.

I had been so tense all day, even Mikoto had asked me if everything was alright.

Of course, I said yes.

However, nothing could be further from the truth than that lie. I knew for a fact my family would be, not necessarily safe, but would survive the chaos to come. Idly, I wondered if Shisui and his family would also be okay.

After months of training with him — when he was available and not running missions — , I had gotten used to Shisui and his easy-going way, getting to know him more. One thing I had never know from the show was the fact that Shisui was the sole provider for his family; his father was bedridden after losing a leg during a mission and his mother was a stay-at-home mom. I felt bad for him, having such a responsibility trusted upon his frail-looking shoulders from a young age.

It was only Itachi, Sasuke, and me in the house. Mikoto and Fugaku had left, father to the Military Police and mother I had no idea.

"Are you okay?"

The quiet question startled me. With wide eyes, I turned to gaze into Itachi's eyes. He was holding Sasuke as we sat outside on the edge of the porch.

His gaze told me he knew I wasn't and had told our mother a lie. Though he didn't know why, he knew I wanted to keep it a secret. He, like always, put his trust on me and was asking that I do the same to him.

I swallowed.

How could I tell him what I knew? How could I burden him with the knowledge of what was coming? He was a kid, for Christ's sake, only five years old.

But this was Itachi we were talking about; there was nothing normal about him.

Fugaku had gotten what he wanted, since 'that' day Itachi had never been the same. There was a drive in him now that couldn't be matched, a fire that wouldn't be extinguished. Not only was he able to retain whatever information he read or heard, but I found myself struggling to keep up with his genius. Only by working myself to the ground was I able to hold my own against him but, so far, I hadn't been able to win a spar — though I did make him work for it and now, with Shisui's guidance, I had been steadily improving.

On the bright side, however, we were now closer than ever. Every time we met with the older boy for training, I would always find something to tease him about, making Itachi smirk or chuckle – I counted that as a personal win, always. Shisui, of course, would then take his revenge in the form of teasing me back or beating me to the ground.

Oh, but one of these days I would hand him his ass right back. My name wouldn't be Uchiha Kana if I didn't manage to win at least once against the him.

Obviously, I was aiming on reaching that personal goal before the brute mastered the shunshin. Though, maybe, if I recreated the Hiraishin somehow, I might have a fighting chance.

The thought of being faster than Shisui of the Body Flicker sent me into a giddy mess and I spent almost an entire week holed up in my room trying to learn as much as I could, as fast as I could just so that I could start experimenting with space-time seals.

Oh, Shisui would be going so down after I managed to create my own Hiraishin.

Sweet, sweet revenge.

However, that was something for the future. Right now, I had more important things to think about.

To trust Itachi with the knowledge or not, that's what it came down to.

If I was honest with myself, I already trusted him with my life. I knew deep in my heart he would always have my back and I would have his no matter what, but this was bigger than the both of us.

The future of the Elemental Nations was on the line if he decided he wanted to do something to change it.

Wasn't that what I wanted, though? To change my brothers' future; to make sure they would never have to walk the path of pain, death, and desolation?

Yes, that was what I wanted.

With newfound resolve, I opened my mouth to tell him that the Kyuubi would be released tonight—

—Only to be cut off by Sasuke's crying.

Itachi's attention immediately shifted to our youngest brother, who wouldn't settle down but started crying even harder.

I could feel my heart beating harder and faster than ever at the implication this brought. There was no time left and chaos was coming.

* * *

Our house had been destroyed.

I hadn't been expecting it to survive the attack, but a part of me had hoped so.

Mikoto had found us soon after the Kyuubi had been summoned to Konoha and taken us to safety, where the rest of the village's habitants had taken refuge. However, not before she got a first seat experience on how far her kids had come.

A part of a builder that had fallen near our house was flying towards us. Itachi had practically thrown Sasuke to our mother and flung himself in the air, making brief eye contact with me. I knew what he was going to do in that second and I moved to stand in front of Mikoto.

Holding my arms in front of me with my hands acting as a shield, I pushed chakra through them and to the outside. My chakra complied with my wishes and, quickly, a thin layer expanded enough to surround us.

Itachi had made quick work of the builder, smashing it to pieces with one shift chakra punch, while I kept my family safe encased within the protective barrier.

The display had taken a good chunk of my reserves to keep up; however, the chakra control and chakra expanding exercises I had been diligently practicing came to the rescue. If it hadn't been for the refined control and above average reserves I now had, I wouldn't have been able to pull off that trick, as unnecessary as it had been since Itachi didn't let a single piece of builder get anywhere near us.

Let's just say Mikoto never saw us the same way again since that night.

The new house we moved to was cozy and, really, I had no complaints about it. The only thing that I didn't like about the move was the fact that we were now living in the Uchiha Compound. Another spark that flamed the coup.

It wasn't noticeable, but the Uchiha clansmen, be it old or young, were not happy with being herded like cattle to the very edge of the village and kept there. In their eyes, it was an enraging insult to even think they had been the ones to unleash the Nine-Tails in the village.

I couldn't blame them.

They hadn't even been the ones responsible, all the credit went to dearest Obito. Of course, that hadn't mattered to the Sandaime or his advisors; they had shunned us like we were the guilty party to begin with. They didn't know that as much pride as the Uchiha had, they had still considered themselves part of the village. It was a mistake that would come back to bite them. I wished, but I couldn't let it happen.

After living in this world for the 'first' five years of my life, I had gotten attached. Attached to the nice lady that lived down the street and gave me sweets for free whenever she saw me, to the old couple that played shogi every afternoon on their porch and taught me how to play. Especially, I got attached to Mikoto, Itachi, and Sasuke.

But how, exactly, could I change something that neither Itachi or Shisui could?

The only plus was that I, at least, had a couple of years to come up with something; let's just hope I would survive that long.

* * *

Thank you for the reviews, they're always appreciated :D


	3. Chapter 3

BETA: Cmedina1

* * *

YEAR SIX

Do you ever have one of those mornings when you open your eyes, the sun isn't even out, you just go like 'Nope, not today', and put the bed sheet over your head, snuggling into the pillow?

That was exactly the kind of morning I was having.

I was cuddling with my pillow, ignoring the fact that it was morning, when someone opened the door. Instantly, I recognized the scent and, if that wasn't enough, the chakra signature.

Ugh, just why, Itachi, must you come and make me be responsible?

"I'm awake." I said, but the sound was muffled by the pillow I was hugging like my life depended on it; as if nothing could make me face the day if I just continued holding it.

I didn't need to look at him to know he was judging me.

"If you're awake, then get up now."

I let out a pained groan, not moving a single muscle. "Must I? It's not like we're going to learn anything we don't already know."

"Kana." He sounded exasperated. Heh, one point for me.

With a resigned, long-suffering sigh, I untangled my frame from the bedsheets, letting go of my very comfortable pillow.

"Happy?" I snarked; that would make one of us, because I definitely wasn't.

Itachi just studied me, his face to cocked slightly to the side. "I thought you wanted to become a ninja." He pointed out.

I took a deep breath, expelling it slowly. "I do. That doesn't mean that I'm going to enjoy going to the Academy for Kami knows how long." I didn't want to have to go through school again, even if it was for ninja training. The first time around had been more than enough, thank you very much.

"So, you're going to prove Tou-sama right?"

I scowled at that.

If I hated Fugaku before, it escalated to a whole new level now.

The man hadn't been in favor of me joining the Academy along with Itachi. In fact, he had gone as far as to say I was inferior to my brother — not so directly, though. It took an all-out spar against Itachi and a full-blown exam to convince him I was ready; that, even though I couldn't win against my brother just yet, I could hold my own against the Academy students and bring honor and pride to the Uchiha name.

"Get out so I can get ready." He did, sporting a tiny smirk that just made me want to smack it away.

Ugh, one point to Itachi.

Quickly, I changed into a black sleeveless, loose turtleneck shirt reminiscent of the one Ino would wear at the star of the series, only I could tuck mine into the hem of the black short skirt I decided to pair it with. It was a comfortable outfit, I was able to move without any obstructions and that's what mattered.

Throwing one last longing look at my bed, I closed the door behind me.

Itachi was waiting for me, ninja sandals on and blank faced, though I could detect hints of impatience cracking the mask.

I rolled my eyes at him but was secretly pleased; he could still be such a kid sometimes.

Mikoto handed us our lunch bags as I was putting on my own black sandals, with Sasuke carefully cradled on one arm. Saying goodbye, we headed out; Fugaku walking a few paces in front of us.

Father didn't talk. What more was there to say? He had already grilled us on what he — and the Clan — expected of us during our Academy career for the past few days, plus he wasn't a fan of being see by others doing that.

Not that I minded at all since it gave me time to talk to Itachi.

"You do know they're not going to like us, right?" I whispered, shooting him a sidelong glance.

This time, it was him who rolled his eyes. "So you'd been telling me."

"Excuse me for trying to prepare you." I huffed sarcastically. "We're Uchiha, they think our family is just a bunch of prideful, stuck-up fools who think we're better than everyone else. So, don't be too surprised if the kids think it's a good idea to bully us."

"You've told me that repeatedly."

 _This kid_ —

It was all I could do to not throw my hands up in the air in frustration at his nonchalance.

"Fine, I'll shut up now."

We made it a few paces before I heard his quiet voice. "We're going to be fine. You said it yourself, nothing we haven't already learned."

My irritation flew out of the window. Yes, I had said that, but that was before we were so close to the building itself. Now, I was just a bunch of nerves thinking about being the new kid once again.

In my previous life, we hadn't moved around a lot, but it had always been the experience when we did and I had never outgrown the uneasiness of being the new face.

Giving him a small smile in gratitude, I took his hand in mine, silently conveying that I was there with him the rest of the way. I knew for a fact he wasn't exactly overjoyed about going to school, but it was a milestone in achieving his dream and so was it mine.

* * *

The classroom was filled with kids.

No one paid us any mind and I was secretly grateful about it, not wanting to be the center of attention or anything like that.

However, when the teacher said "Now the, please introduce yourself and tell everyone your dream for the future" did my heart start working overtime. I absolutely abhorred speaking in front of people and it had not gotten any better in this life; then again, I had no practice whatsoever since the only people I regularly talked to were Itachi, Mikoto, and Shisui. The funny thing was that I could perfectly well talk to strangers if it was one-on-one, which had gotten me in trouble with my 'before' mom many times.

As if feeling my discomfort — more like internal panic — since I doubted he could hear my rapidly beating heart over the chatter of the other students, Itachi shoot me a look, silently asking if I was okay.

I put on a brave front, nodding at him. Yes, I could do this. It's not like I was going to be presenting the Nobel Prize or anything like that and they're just kids, anyway. _But that doesn't mean they won't judge me_.

 _Ugh, snap out of. You're Uchiha Kana, daughter of the Chief of the Konoha Military Police, part of the hailed Uchiha Clan known for possessing the Sharingan, you don't care what anyone has to say and you're definitely not about to lose your cool in front of a bunch of kids._

 _If only Shisui could see me now, I bet he'd be on his ass laughing._

One by one the students were called, each saying their dream.

I didn't pay much attention, more focused on steadying my breathing and heart.

"Uchiha Itachi"

Suddenly, my entire self was focused on my brother, who walked to the front as if he had all the time in the world.

Not going to lie, I had always been curious about what pre-massacre Itachi's dream had been and now, I got the opportunity to hear it from his own mouth.

Before sharing it, though, he patted between his eyebrows with a finger, reminiscent of the usual poke he would give Sasuke in the future, and puffed out his chest. "I'm Uchiha Itachi. My dream is…"

He stopped.

I frowned, concerned. Didn't he have a dream? I had thought for sure he did. Why wasn't he saying it and just getting it out of the way, though? Could it be that bad?

No, that wouldn't be it. He probably wanted to achieve something that the rest of the class would find absurd. Knowing Itachi, it would be something along the lines of 'world peace', that sounded more like it.

"It's alright, go ahead and say it." Well, it seemed I wasn't the only one who wanted this over with, I thought as the teacher urged him on.

"I want to be the greatest ninja ever, great enough that I can erase all fighting from this world."

I was speechless; he left me without words. He said it with so much conviction and feeling, his dark eyes shone from the depth of his dream, from how much he believed in it.

And he would, one day, become one of the greatest ninja. What broke my heart, however, was knowing that he wouldn't live long enough to see the world at peace.

I didn't hear the kid snickering in the background, I only saw what the future held for my brother and I didn't like it one bit as we clapped; me the loudest of them all, trying to convey how proud I was of what Itachi wanted to achieve, what he strived for.

Once the clapping stopped and Itachi was seated next to me, the teacher spoke again.

"Uchiha Kana."

And it was my turn.

Expelling a breath, I stood and made my way to the front keeping an untouchable air, let them think it was pride or whatever.

"My name is Uchiha Kana and my dream is to graduate in six months."

Ha! No way was I going to say my real dream here. It was personal and I didn't want to share it with kids who dared to laugh and not take another person's dream seriously.

Now, there were definite laughs all around the classroom with the teacher shushing them and telling them to clap, which they did though it was more of a sarcastic clapping as I went back to my seat.

I didn't care, though, I was going to get out of here in six months along with Itachi and then…

And then I would be invited to the Nakano Shrine meetings.

I distinctly remembered what Shisui had said one night a while ago when the three of us had been hanging out.

" _I'm a genin."_

" _They meet regularly at Nakano Shrine."_

" _It's something you two don't have to know about yet."_

"Why did you say that?"

The quiet question came from Itachi, who was looking at me with unreadable eyes that I interpreted to mean I had lost a few screws in my brain.

With a mumbled "Later" we continued to listen to the teacher.

* * *

It was lunch time now.

The two of us sat near the building, watching the other kids play around without a care in the world as we ate the bentos Mikoto had packet for us that morning.

The classes weren't incredibly taxing.

In fact, I dared to say one of them was a little bit of fun.

Mostly because I managed to win one over Itachi.

Oh, his face when I finished the exercise a few seconds before him was priceless! It instantly became the highlight of my whole life. Just remembering it right now made me start giggling like a maniac.

Said big brother was giving a sour look, as if knowing exactly what I was thinking about and not liking it.

"You cheated." He accused.

I tried to stop, but it was just too funny.

"I didn't cheat." I managed to gasp out, out of breath. "I just used the tools available to me."

He just humped and continued sulking, eating his food.

"Hey." I said once I managed to control myself. "Why didn't you just say you wanted to become the first Uchiha Hokage? It would've been more believable than trying to 'erase all fighting from this world.' Unless, of course, becoming the Godaime is really your dream."

I was joking but, from the pink dusting Itachi's cheeks, I quickly changed my tune.

"Wait, you want to be Hokage?" My eyes were wide as saucers as I faced my brother.

"Is that so hard to believe?" He turned to me, insulted. However, I could see the hurt he was trying to hide behind the facade.

I realized then that my opinion mattered to him; he could take the scorn and laughs from everyone else, but not from me. Something warm filled my heart just then, expanding inside my chest and leaving me speechless for a second.

I gave him a gentle smile, full of pride and all the love I could muster. "Not at all." I told him sincerely with a shake of my head. "If being the Fifth is what you truly want — no matter if it's to stop the fighting or whatever you want — I will help you. I'll have your back all the way through the path until you achieve your dream. For the record, you'd make a great Hokage. The best, even."

Itachi's small smile at the beginning of my speech became a full blown one, showing teeth and everything. It was one of the happiest moments of my life, closely followed by the time I beat him a few hours before.

"What about you?" He asked suddenly, though I should've been expecting it. "What's really your dream? And don't tell me it really is to graduate in six months, because I won't believe you." He finished sternly.

"Hey! Knowing you, you'll fly through the curriculum that fast. What would I do when you're out there and I'm stuck here? I don't like kids our age." I made a face. "And you know it's true. The only reason why I can stand Shisui is because he's not like the rest of them." Shisui had been through a war, for crying out loud. "But, to answer your question," I became serious, staring at the trees on the edge of the property. "I want to be there for you and Sasuke. I want to be strong so I can protect the both of you if and when the time comes. I don't want you to walk the path of a shinobi alone. I want to make sure you, and our loved ones, are always protected and in good health. And I want to _survive_." _With Obito and Madara unleashing the Ten-Tails, and Kaguya and her_ family _coming, not to mention Kara, I need to get as strong as I can if I want to keep on living._

However, all the worries came crashing down when I turned to look at my twin again. He was filled with pride, pride at my words and what I wanted to accomplish. It wasn't anything as grand as his dream, but it was something worth fighting for.

"No matter what" He said, his words catching a little. "We'll always have each other's backs."

I thought we had never been closer than in that moment.

* * *

"Hurry up, Itachi! Shisui is waiting for us." I exclaimed from a few doors down the hallway, jumping lightly from one foot to the other.

It was true, the older boy hadn't had a free day in a while and we had agreed to meet to train as soon as classes were over. Now, my dearest brother was taking his sweet time.

All around, the other students were chatting and waiting for their friends, filled with a catchy energy and I was not immune to it. Three months had passed since we started school and we were all ready to get out of here, just like the first day.

Nevertheless, Itachi's advance was cut off by a girl. She wasn't in our class, but I felt like I recognized her from somewhere. She had brown hair that reached to her shoulders, black eyes as dark as any Uchiha's, and she was kind of cute I guessed.

Not to be snoopy or anything (really, just for practice purposes), I pushed some chakra to my ears, augmenting my hearing.

Bad idea, really bad idea, worst idea ever. Suddenly the chatter intensified to a whole new level and I felt as if I was surrounded by speakers turned on at max volume. Immediately, I cut off the chakra feed, letting out a relieved sigh. Never again in my life was I doing that.

Unless I found a way to work around the multiple speakers and hone into just one voice. Hm, how exactly would that work? The bigger question though, how exactly do the Inuzuka do it? They're supposed to have the better senses, right? How did they not go crazy? Or weren't they already?

I snapped out of my train of thought once Itachi grabbed my wrist and pulled me, dragging me behind him like doll.

"Who was that and what did she want?" I asked him as we ran to our secret meeting place.

"Uchiha Izumi." He replied curtly, focusing chakra to his legs to speed up. I copied him, practically flying through the streets. "No idea. Didn't have time to find out."

I cocked an eyebrow. Well, well, would you look at that? Uchiha Izumi, uh; I knew I recognized the girl from somewhere and it turned out she was my big brother's love. Oh, this was going to be good.

"Shisui!" I called out as soon as we got to the clearing.

The boy was already there, patiently waiting. As soon as he saw us, a smile broke through his lips making him look his age and carefree.

Internally, I frowned. What could have put the tension on his shoulders?

Probably listening to the elders talk about the coup, I realized.

"Hi there, Kana-chan, Itachi." Said boy just nodded in hello.

They had foregone the use of honorifics a few months ago, pretty much after the first few get togethers.

Seeing Shisui rubbing Itachi's head brought a smile to my lips, which turned bittersweet. If only we wouldn't grow up and things would stay like this…

However, the moment didn't make me forget what I wanted to oh, so graciously share with the older boy.

"Say, Shisui." I started conspiratorially. "Did you know dearest Itachi here has a girlfriend?"

Shisui, reading my mind and following the script just like I knew he would, turned to Itachi with wide eyes and a fake 'I-can't-believe-little-Itachi-is-growing-up' face. "No, Itachi-chan." He exclaimed dramatically, drawing a long 'o'. My twin, however, was giving me the death glare. I didn't care, too busy holding back my laughter; this was just too funny. "I thought you only had eyes for me!" That's it, I couldn't hold it anymore. I burst out laughing, falling onto my knees and holding my stomach. "Who is she? Is she prettier than me? Is she in your same year? How did you meet her?"

"If you'd let me talk" Itachi said sourly. "You'd know that Kana exaggerated. I don't have a girlfriend. This one girl just stopped me to tell me she is also an Uchiha before we left the Academy."

Shisui pouted. "Aw, I like Kana-chan's version better." There was a slow, 'cat-got-the-canary' smile forming on his lips though. "I think our little Itachi has gotten himself an admirer, don't you think, Kana-chan?"

I nodded frantically, committing Itachi's sour expression and Shisui's conspiratorial one as he looked at me to memory.

"This isn't why we came here." Itachi interrupted our camaraderie, shooting me kunai with his eyes. Thank God he didn't have the Mangekyō yet and couldn't use Amaterasu or I would have been roasting like a turkey.

"Yeah, yeah." Like a little gentleman, Shisui extended one hand to help me back to my feet. Taking his hand, he pulled me up in one smooth, swift motion.

"Okay, kiddies, let's get started!" Shisui declared with too much glee to my liking. In fact, when he and Itachi turned matching sadistic smiles towards me, I knew I should have let the two of them build their friendship without me.

I was pretty sure the whole village could hear my cries for help.

* * *

Like always, thank you for reading and the reviews! :D


	4. Chapter 4

BETA: Cmedina1

* * *

YEAR SEVEN

 _Six more months and I'll be out of the Academy_.

I was both excited and scared at the same time. Excited because we would be out of that place and scared because, well, we would be ninja; nothing would protect us anymore. I could end up dying during a mission and never return to the Uchiha Compound, leaving Itachi and Sasuke alone.

"What are you thinking so hard about?" Itachi asked, poking the space between my eyebrows with a finger. He had gotten into the habit of doing that two months before.

"My existence." I replied dramatically as we walked through the school's hallway. My brother just rolled his eyes used to my mood swings.

Two months ago we went through the graduation exam, passing it easily. Surprisingly, it was on Bunshin no Jutsu. I guess they never did change the requirements to graduate. Shisui had taught us the jutsu even before we started going to the Academy, so Itachi and I did quick work of it.

Feeling smug that my 'dream for the future' had been accomplished, I gloated.

However, the little devil posing as my twin, didn't agree.

" _Pay up."_

 _Itachi didn't even need to ask to know what I was talking about. "You never said it was a bet."_

" _And you should've known better than to not take it as one." I retorted, keeping my hand extended in his direction, palm up._

 _Really, he should've known better. One day, just for fun, I had bet with him on Sasuke's first word. It was Itachi's name, just butchered. After that, I just kept on making bets with him. He won most of them since they were about who could master an exercise Shisui made us do sooner, but hey I was still trying._

" _In that case," He commented expressionless. "You were still wrong about how long it would take us to graduate."_

 _I was pretty sure a tick developed over my forehead. "By two months! You probably thought it would take at least a year to be able to graduate."_

" _Yet we are still made to attend classes until the end of the year."_

" _Argh! I can't even with you."_

I was sure a vein would pop just from remembering that. And on top of everything, the little brat didn't pay me. Ugh, I was getting irritated just thinking about it.

"Hey! You!"

Startled at the sudden call, I turned to look at three boys (probably last year students from their sizes) who came up to us.

They were average looking. The one in the middle (the leader, if I was right) had dark narrow eyes, spiky grey hair, and a small nose; while the one on his right had droopy eyes and a nervous aura around him, and the one on the left was the tallest of the three.

"You him? Uchiha Itachi?"

 _I don't like this_. This was the perfect setting for an ambush; it was lunch break and the kids were outside playing while the teachers had gone to the Teacher's Room to enjoy the precious minutes they had without having to deal with their respective classes. Itachi and I had come back inside since it was nice and quiet, but we hadn't counted on the trio to come looking for us. This felt like a cliched bullying scene straight out of a movie.

"Who wants to know?" I asked, leaving my arms relaxed on my sides in case this turned ugly.

They ignored me, as if I wasn't even there, their entire focus on my brother.

"You know who we are?"

"No."

I mentally clapped for Itachi, _You go, bro!_

However, that wasn't the response the older boy wanted if the frown he now wore was any indication.

"Cheeky brat, just like everyone says, huh? I'm Izumo Tenma. Fleet Foot Team they call me. Ain't nobody at school who don't know me."

I wanted to scoff at that. Really, Fleet Foot? He probably was, but he had never gone against me or Itachi. And, obviously, not everyone in school knew of him since I had never even heard his name. The thing that got me the most, though, was his improper use of grammar. Seriously, he was older than us, had been in school longer, he had to have taken classes to help his speech improve.

"You wanna go?" Yep, definitely nervous.

"Slow down, Katsura." _Ass-kisser_ , I thought when I saw the newly named Katsura send his _friend_ a saccharine smile.

"You know why we stopped you?" Asked the one on the left, an eyebrow raise.

"No idea."

I shoot him an incredulous expression; how could he not realize they were bullies trying to pick a fight with him? It was obvious Itachi was their main objective.

Did they think I would just stand aside and watch as they picked on my brother?

"What's with this kid?"

Tenma held his the taller boy back. "Hold up, Hagiri. We're just gonna make sure we teach this kid about school manners. Just don't rush it."

It was my turn to raise an eyebrow. "You do realize you're going to graduate in less than a year, right? Why would you trouble yourself with teaching a kid who already graduated how the school hierarchy works?"

That shut them up for a few seconds. However, it wasn't enough to make them leave us alone.

"Who the fuck are you?"

"Now, I feel insulted." I drawled. "You know of my brother, but you don't know me. Just what kind of senior are you?"

I knew I was openly antagonizing them, but I couldn't help myself.

Pink-faced, Tenma turned his attention towards me. "So you're the sister of the so-called prodigy." He spat the word out like a curse. "So are you, from what everyone says." Tenma let out a snort. "Your brother probably gives you all the answers. You probably don't even know how to use a kunai."

 _Excuse me?!_

Did this kid even know what he was saying? How dare he? He had no idea how many hours, blood, callouses, sweat, and tears I've had to go through to be at the level I currently was; to keep up with my genius of a brother. Did he seriously accuse me of cheating my way through the Academy?

Itachi had to physically restrain me by putting a hand on my shoulder, reminding me where we were. Right, I didn't want to get in trouble with only six months left.

But Goddammit, was it hard.

Taking a deep breath, I tried to calm down, hands forming fists so tightly they were turning white.

"It was you guys we set the Nine-Tails on the village, right?"

 _Say what?_

I knew most people thought that, but for this kid, Tenma, to just confront us about it — I had no words.

"All the grown up say so, you know — that the Uchiha clan made the Nine-Tails attack the village. You're a sneaky, cunning clan, so we'll probably never catch who did it, right? But it was definitely an Uchiha. The fact that the Hokage and them don't trust you is proof. I mean, they made you all go live together, on the edge of the village."

I was done. So done with the nonsense this kid was sprouting. _He has no idea what he's talking about_ , I reminded myself, _he doesn't know what I do_.

"We don't know anything about that." Trust Itachi, the pacifist, to come to the rescue.

"You think you can't just say, 'we don't know' and be done with it? My uncle died when the Kyūbi attacked us. His dad did, too." He said with a frown, pointing at Katsura. "And how'd things go for your family again?"

Hagiri answered. "Right in front of me, my mom, she was trying to protect my little sister from debris when that came flying, and…" He couldn't go on.

It kind of broke my heart. For them to have lost their family members, I wanted to express my sincerest condolences, but they had denied themselves that when they accused us about something we had nothing to do with.

"What makes you think you were the only ones who lost someone?" I asked them, stepping out of Itachi's hold. "Many others are suffering right now because of their loses. My teacher died that night. Our mother almost did, too. She was protecting our little brother when debris came flying behind her, but she _survived_." I stressed. "We," I motioned between Itachi and me. "Did something. We protected them; did our job as ninja. Why couldn't you?"

It was a low blow, I knew, but what right did they have to just come here and make us into the bad guys?

And oh God, I hadn't thought about Kushina since that incident. The pain that I had suppressed suddenly weighted down my chest. If only I had been stronger, been older, or had told someone about the impending attack, maybe she and Minato would've survived. But I didn't and, now, I had to live with the knowledge and pain that maybe I could've been able to change their fates. The fate of many families, parents, children. Maybe they would have caught Obito and prevented the Fourth War, prevented the needless rancor and accusations the Uchiha clan now suffered for something they had no hand in. For something that the Yondaime could've put a stop to with just a few words. Now, the path was set and my brothers would end up suffering the most because of it.

Unbidden, the images of the future appeared in the forefront of my mind. Itachi, so young, living the life of a fugitive and dying as one, with no one knowing just what he had had to sacrifice in order for Sasuke to live a relatively normal life — which it had not been.

I had to become stronger. If I was stronger, I could prevent that future from happening and Itachi could one day become the best Hokage Konoha had ever seen.

 _Throb_.

My eyes stung, burning, but it wasn't because of tears. No, it was because of rage. Rage at my own inability to so anything; to save anyone.

 _Throb_.

I needed to be stronger than any other ninja I came across to protect my brothers, to protect me.

To survive.

I needed to become the most powerful ninja out there so Itachi wouldn't have to carry on his shoulders or parent's deaths.

I needed _power_.

Chakra shoot through my body, hotter than I've ever felt it before, flowing through before concentrating on a spot at the nape of my neck, drowning out everything else. Not even during training had my chakra ever reached such burning levels.

I closed my eyes from the amount that suddenly shot to my eyes without any warning.

"The Uchiha clan are our enemy." Tenma spat. "I mean, you're our enemy. You killed our relatives. How could we not hate you?"

Idiots, all of them.

"Apologize." He demanded before he started shouting. "Get down on your hands and knees and apologize! Say 'I'm sorry on behalf of the entire Uchiha clan'! You too bitch."

I could feel Itachi stiffening at the word.

Oh, he did not just call me that.

Slowly, I opened my eyes against the burning—

—Only to find the world colored red.

"Sha-sharingan." The tall one stared into my eyes fearfully.

Realizing what his friend said, Tenma looked into my eyes before the three of them turn tail and ran. "L-let's get out of here."

Through the wall, I could still clearly see the flames that encompassed them as they got further and further away, and the flame that was getting closer to us.

"Kana?"

I turned to look at Itachi, whose eyes were wide in surprise.

 _Dizzy_.

"Heh, I finally won at something." I said before stumbling a bit as I took a step closer to him. He quickly took me in his arms, holding me close.

Closing my eyes tightly, I wondered just how the heck I was supposed to deactivate the Dōjutsu. Like every other jutsu, it was chakra based, so I only had to cut the chakra flowing to my eyes, right?

After a second, I opened my eyes again to see the world had returned to normal. Uff, that's what I called chakra drain.

"Hey!" A voice called out from behind us. "Are you guys alright?"

"Just peachy." I mumbled, straightening, but not stepping away from my brother's embrace.

"Oh," The girl, Izumi said, blinking. "I-I saw Tenma and his friends coming here and I didn't see either of you outside, so I thought he was picking on you."

"Thank you for your concern." Itachi said not unkindly. "However, it was not necessary."

"What he said." I poked my brother on the ribs with my index.

"T-that's good." There was a blush adorning her cheeks. "I'll be on my way, then." Turning, she left the way she came.

Well, that was abrupt.

I looked up at Itachi, who was staring at her retreating form with a thoughtful look on his face.

"You can go with her, if you want." I told him, moving away from him. The chakra drain hadn't been so bad, it had just taken me by surprise, so I could stand on my own now.

He hummed, but didn't say anything. I raised an eyebrow at him.

"I know what Tou-sama said." I informed him, crossing my arms over my chest. "He thinks you should have friends your own age."

I rolled my eyes at the startled look he gave me, tapping one finger against my ear. "I can listen, you know."

He gave an exasperated sigh. "And here I thought you always disregarded anything Tou-sama said. But, you just awakened your Sharingan." He ended seriously.

I wasn't sure if I wanted to gloat or cry or… I didn't know — do something.

I knew the Sharingan could be activated in life or death situations or just by experiencing trauma or an extremely blissful feeling, like in Sarada's case when she was on her way to meet Sasuke, I didn't know it could be activated by… whatever mental breakdown I just had, which didn't even include any kind of fighting.

"I did." Nodding my head, I pushed chakra to my eyes; a smaller quantity this time since I didn't want to suffer from chakra exhaustion.

There was no change in my vision.

I blinked in confusion.

"Maybe it just needs more chakra." Itachi offered the piece of advice.

 _Please let it not be that much_ , I prayed to any and all deities out there, _I don't want to suffer from chakra depletion in the middle of a fight_.

But, if that was the case, how did Itachi, Sasuke, and essentially every single Uchiha managed to keep the Sharingan activated for long periods of time?

Probably have tons of chakra at their disposal or the red eyes of doom just needed a bit more chakra than what I gave them to activate. It was during times like this when I was grateful I put myself through the rigorous chakra control exercised I had.

Trying out what my brother said, I pushed a little more into my eyes this time around. Sure enough, the world bleed into red and Itachi was engulfed by a big flame.

"How many tomoe?" I asked a bit breathless.

"Two in your right eye, one in your left." He told me, amazement coloring his words.

I couldn't help it. A smile blossomed on my face, mirrored by my twin.

The dream of surviving this world didn't seem so far off anymore.

* * *

"Tell me again, how exactly did you activate it?"

We were in my bedroom. Itachi sitting on my bed with his legs crossed and peering down at me as I scratched out another failed seal.

A few days had passed since I awakened my Sharingan and neither of our parents knew about it yet. Itachi, thankfully, didn't say anything either, accepting my decision of keeping it quiet.

"Kami-dammit." I gritted out. I was trying to make a seal that would allow me to store chakra so I could use it whenever my reserves were low. It would give me an advantage in battle, since my opponent wouldn't be expecting me to just get more chakra out of nowhere, but I wasn't getting something right and the seal would just malfunction whenever I tried to draw the chakra out.

Ugh, it was worse than trying to find a syntax error in a piece of code.

Yep, I was studying to be a programmer in my past life, don't sue me.

I believed it was the reason why I like Fūinjutsu so much, because it was a whole other language (kind of) that I was learning. Everything just made sense to me, but this seal was exactly like that one time when the code doesn't want to work right. I was so close to start pulling out my hair.

Taking a break from it and wishing I was old enough so I could have a smoke without raising any eyebrows, I let my head fall back onto the bed, right in front of my brother's legs.

"I just started thinking about Kushina-san and Minato-san. How, maybe, if I had been stronger I could've helped in some way to protect more people from the Kyūbi."

Itachi stared at me with unreadable eyes before he said something that left me with my jaw hanging.

"That's bullshit."

I spluttered, picking up my head and turning so that my whole body was facing him. Eyes open as wide as they could as soon as my brain registered the word that came out of my brother's mouth. Itachi didn't swear. Ever. It was an unspoken law.

Yet here he was, dropping that bomb on me.

"If that was the truth, it didn't work for me." He focused his glare on me. "I've tried awakening my Sharingan since you got yours, but nothing happened."

Ah, so his frustration had reached max level, now we were getting somewhere.

My expression turned into one of understanding. "It's not that simple. It's not just about thinking that you want the Sharingan; it's about wishing you were more powerful with your whole being." I explained what had occurred with me. "Many unlock their eyes after watching a close one die in front of them, others just from feeling blissfully happy. It varies and I can't help with that. I can just tell you that you'll probably get yours soon."

"I hope so." I heard him grumble.

I shot him a smirk. "Hey, just think about how, when you get yours, we'll be able to tag-team against Shisui and we'll be able to give him the trashing he deserves." Oh yes, I was still sore from the last 'training' exercise he had put me through. "Though we can probably do that now." I said a little more excited at the image.

Itachi, however, didn't have an inch of sympathy. "I'll beat Shisui on my own. And what makes you think we'll be able to beat him once I have my Sharingan? Even if we team up he has more experience, not to mention his speed is nothing to laugh at."

I made a face at that. Shisui had already started gathering fame as Shunshin no Shisui, the prat, but I wasn't about to fall behind.

"Because," I said gleefully. "I'm working on a seal like the Yondaime's."

Standing, I move to the floorboard at the end of my bed. Touching it, I pushed a little chakra into it, making a seal appear. With a puff of smoke (I really needed to learn how to make the seals not do that), it released a scroll filled with notes, ideas, and some minor calculations (math had never been my friend. Thankfully, this brain understood the horror of my past world better).

Itachi took the extended scroll and opened it, quickly scanning through it.

Once he was done, he turned amazed eyes on me.

"How long have you been working on this?"

"A couple of months now; maybe a year, give or take." It had been longer since I first thought about making my own Hiraishin, but it wasn't like I could just copy the jutsu and use it; otherwise, everyone would have used it.

First of all, the seal was keyed with the user's chakra, which is why the Second and Fourth's seals were different; not to mention Minato's made the transportation aspect faster, so, even if he wanted, Senju Tobirama would never match the Yondaime's speed. Now, if I could only just understand how the space-time aspect of it worked…

"If you're able to catch Shisui by surprise with this, the spar would be yours." Itachi said with a proud smile.

I grinned.

"I think I can key your chakra into it too, so you'd be able to use it when it's done."

He was taken aback. "Are you serious? But it's your jutsu."

I rolled my eyes at him. "Of course I'll share it with you, who do you think I am? If it might one day save your life, you bet I'll be sharing it with you."

 _Just like you're sharing you knowledge of the future_ , my conscience decided to speak up. The little voice in my head was right, though. Itachi needed to know what to prepare for, know who he could trust and that was not Shimura Danzō or Madara. Not that he would trust them (I think), but better safe than sorry.

And what better moment than now to tell him?

However, Mikoto calling saying that dinner was ready prevented me from sharing anything.

As Itachi and I walked towards the kitchen, I made a vow that, one day, he would know everything that would happen.

* * *

Hey everyone! Thank you for reading and reviewing! It really makes me happy to read you guys are enjoying the story!

Sorry I haven't been the best at replying to the reviews :/ buuuuut, here's another chapter! :D


	5. Chapter 5

BETA: Cmedina1

* * *

 **Update 12/13/18:** Thanks to LalondeBii for bringing to my attention Itachi shouldn't have known about the Hyūga not having a three-sixty vision.

* * *

"Okay, kids, starting today we'll be Team Four. I'm your sensei, Inuzuka Koji, and this is my partner Raimaru."

It had been three days since the graduation ceremony, where Itachi and I had graduated at the top of our class, even above the twelve-year-olds. It had been a sight to see, to be sure. Pure resentment could be seen in the eyes of the older kids and their families as they looked at us.

It was also the day Shimura Danzō made first contact.

Our family had been waiting for us when the old snake had intercepted our path, blocking them from view. I didn't like the way his eye glinted as he studied first my brother then me, sending shivers down my spine that I didn't let show.

" _I have a question for the two most talented geniuses to ever grace the halls of the Academy."_

Just what is he trying to get out of this? _I thought frantically, by heart beating fast inside my chest. Knowing the man, nothing good other than trying to determine if Itachi and I or either one has what it takes to become one of his ROOT agents._

" _Ten of our brethren have been shipwrecked. One of them has caught a nasty, infectious disease. If he is allowed to live, the other nine will also get sick and die. If you were the captain of that ship, what judgement would you hand down?"_

 _Before I could formulate a response, Itachi was already giving his._

" _No matter what happens, the one who is sick is destined to die. If I were the captain, I would think that my first priority would be to save the lives of the other nine. I would choose to kill the one and save the nine."_

" _A very unambiguous response." A prominent smile showed on his face as he accepted wholeheartedly what Itachi said._

 _I resisted the urge to glare. "Unlike your question."_

Now, what in the world made me say that out-loud?

 _That eye settled heavily on me, making my 'flight-or-fight' senses go into overdrive._

" _What makes you say so?"_

 _Flight or fight? Flight or fight?_

" _First of," My mouth took the choice away from me._ God, where did my brain go? _A finger came up. "You didn't mention in what condition the other ninja are in, if they are even Shinobi. They could be civilians from all the information you gave, who might not even know a thing about sailing."_

 _Another finger went up. "Second, one, or more, of the ones stuck in the ship might be a knowledgeable medic-nin or have basic knowledge on how to cure such sickness, making it possible for the infected person to live. Even then, the ninja or civilian could be put in isolation and a designated person who comes in contact with him or her would wear a mask over their face to prevent catching the sickness if it's transmitted by air; if not, then food and water for the sick person would be set aside on the quarantined room, so, when they reached mainland, a proper medic could cure him."_

 _Finally, a third finger. "What makes you think that by just getting rid of the one person the rest are safe? He or she could have caught the sickness from whatever was inside the ship, since you also failed to mention what kind of ship they were on. It could have just been a plain old merchant ship that had bad food, making everyone on that ship prone to the same sickness." I ended with a raised eyebrow, putting my hand back to my side._

 _Through my speech, I could feel Itachi's eyes boring into my side, but I kept my gaze trained on the elder._

 _He regarded me with shrewd eyes. It was all I could do to stay still with my back straight and not cower before him._

" _You've given me much to think about, Uchiha Kana." He expressed finally. "I look forward to the day we meet again." Was almost whispered as he passed us._

 _Again, a shiver ran down my spine. This was not good, not good at all; however, a sigh of relief crossed my lips once he was away._

To say I was not looking forward to the day we would 'meet again' (which I desperately wanted _not_ to happen) would be an understatement. I did not want to ever be again in his proximity.

"Now, introduce each other." Koji-sensei motioned with his hands, while Raimaru, who reminded me a bit of older Akamaru though his pelt was a dark brown, sat by Koji's side, attentive.

A second passed where no one said anything and, really, it was no wonder what with a Hyūga and an Aburame as my teammates.

Seriously, couldn't this have been any more cliched? It was the exact same formation as the future Team Eight. An Inuzuka, an Aburame, a Hyūga, and someone who was inherently good with genjutsu.

It took everything I had not to facepalm when I first saw them.

Suppressing a sigh, I started with a small smile. No need to antagonize or come off as a prick to the people I was going to be spending most of my days with. "Hello, my name is Uchiha Kana. I like to spend time with my brothers, training, and learning everything I can. I dislike most vegetables and people who don't take their training seriously. My hobby is—" I had to think about that one. In my previous life, I enjoyed gaming, but I couldn't really say that here. "Training." I settled for.

Following my lead, the Hyūga went next. Like the majority of his clan, he wore his hitai-ate on his forehead, however, it was in a bandana style, covering his head. His brown hair reached down his neck, which he tied in a low ponytail, though two shorter strands framed his face. He wore a grey kimono style shirt and dark pants. He was also a little tanned, making his white eyes stand out even more.

It was fascinating, really. I had never before had the opportunity to see the feature so closely but, if there was one thing that had stuck with me from my previous life was — my mom used to tell me all the time — was that staring was rude, so I refrained from doing so… much.

"My name is Hyūga Iroha. I like to train and spend time with my friends."

I caught myself before I made a fool of myself by gapping. But, a Hyūga with friends? That was something never before seen. Then I remembered, even though the Hyūga and Uchiha were both stoic in their own ways, both clans were still very much human; everyone had friends and Iroha was not Neji.

"I dislike slackers and people who don't do their job right. My hobby is training and hanging out with my friends and younger sister."

So, a family-oriented kid who liked to train. We had much in common then, though I didn't know if he disliked his father as much as I disliked mine.

The Aburame reminded me a bit of Shino, what with his complexion and short messy brown hair, though he didn't cover the lower half of his face, just his eyes with sunglasses. He did wear the high-necked tan jacket that all of the members of his clan wore and dark shinobi pants.

"My name is Aburame Touma. Like the rest of my clan, I specialize in fighting using my kikaichū. I like studying insects and learning about new species. I dislike people who don't respect our insects. My hobby is to study new species of insects and their usage in battle."

"Okay," Koji-sensei clapped once, pulling our attention back to him. He gave us a fanged grin. "Now that that's out of the way, you kids can do whatever you want. Tomorrow, I expect you all ready for our first mission. We'll be meeting here, in Training ground four at eight."

"Do you know what it is, sensei?" I asked before he could leave.

"Now, that's what I like to see! Some excitement." The grin grew into a smile. "I'll be picking up the mission scroll tomorrow. Until then."

He left, walking at a slow pace back towards the village.

I turned to face my new teammates, who were already standing and looked ready to leave, too.

"H-hey." God, why was this so hard? Clearing my throat and squaring my back now that I had their attention, I continued. "Since we don't know anything about each other and we are a team now, wouldn't it be good to, well, get to know each other?"

Iroha frowned, clearly not expecting this, but didn't move away so I counted that as a _maybe_.

It was Touma who answered. "I can see the advantage of doing so. Why? Because it will make it easier for us to coordinate better."

 _He even has the trademark speech pattern_ , I thought amazed.

One down, one left to go.

Nodding, Iroha asked. "What do you suggest?"

I thought about it for a second. "Well, we already know the basics. How do you guys feel about a spar?" It was normally what ninja kids did, right? I only had Shisui as an example and we always trained; he was more laidback than these two, though.

The two nodded in agreement.

Yes, it was the way to go.

"Who wants to go first?"

* * *

Exhaling, I filled my muscles with chakra. It was getting easier to do so at a faster pace.

Four kunai were held in each hand and ready to go. Once my legs were overflowing with the chakra, I activated my Sharingan, locking on the targets.

They were easy to reach, except for the one hidden behind a tree on the ground. I gritted my teeth. Itachi knew I hated having to do those kinds of throws, yet he still pestered me about it. Blah, blah, it's good practice, blah. As good as I was at throwing kunai dead center, I was not good at having two kunai hit each other then follow the path I want them to. It was beyond frustrating, but no, I wasn't going to complain; as much as I disliked it, it really was good practice.

Jumping up in the air, I let go of six of the kunai, each hitting their own target just as I expected them to. The last two would be hard. Turning on mid-air, I threw one first, then the last one in a wide arc, intercepting the first one. Just as I landed, I could hear the 'thunk' 'thunk' they made. Letting my eyes turn back to black, I went to check how I did. I was pleasantly surprised to see the kunai had hit a little off the center.

"Told you you would get better with practice." Came the smug voice.

I rolled my eyes, turning to face my brother, who had already collected the other kunai and was holding them loosely in his hand.

"Yes, yes, you did say so. Happy now?" I retorted sarcastically.

Snatching the two kunai left, I made handed them to him.

"How was your team?" I asked Itachi as he prepared to do the same exercise.

"The senior's on it." At my confused gaze, he elaborated. "The one leading the other two who confronted us in the Academy's hallway."

"Oh." Well, that was not a good start. "I feel your pain." I offered sympathetically.

That earned me a deadpan. "No, you don't." As if to prove his point, he poked his thumb with the pointy end of a kunai. A drop of blood was the result.

I prayed for strength. "Idiot, that's not what I meant and you know it."

A small smile played on his lips. "I know."

With that, he jumped in the air, higher than I had done. The silence was filled with eight consecutive 'tunks' as he landed silently on his feet.

Sure enough, every single kunai had hit the targets' center.

"If this is what you can do without your Sharingan, I'm afraid to see what you'll be able to do when you have it." I was impressed.

"That might still be years from now." But there was a proud smile on his face as he said it.

 _Not really_ , I thought with a pang. "We're ninja now, we're bound to see and do things that we might not like. That we definitely will not like." I amended.

It was one of the things I was not looking forward about becoming a shinobi; taking someone else's life. I had no idea how I would react if — when — the situation came and I was in no hurry to find out. It was, however, part of the path I had chosen for myself; it didn't mean I had to enjoy it. Sincerely, it turned my stomach whenever I thought about it.

Wanting to change the topic, I asked instead. "Who's the other teammate?"

"A girl, Inari Shinko. Moved to Konoha three years ago." He replied monotonously.

I hummed. I didn't recall anything about how his teammates fared, so it was safe to assume they would die in the future. If I remembered correctly, that was how Itachi got his Sharingan, by watching one of his teammates die in front of him.

Whoever it was, they only had a few months left.

"What about your teammates?"

"An Aburame and a Hyūga." I gave him a sarcastic smile. "Our sensei is an Inuzuka. Think they want us to be a tracking team?"

Itachi thought about it. "Aburame are good information gatherers. Their kikaichū make for useful spies and trackers. The Hyūga have the Byakugan, giving them a visibility field of three-sixty degrees. They can also see targets over great distances depending on how advanced their eyes are, not to mention it's said they can see chakra better than the Sharingan can." There was a pause before he added. "It could be either a very good tracking or information gathering team."

I nodded. "We fought before I came here, to get to know each other's styles better since we'll be working closely together." I explained at his sudden interest.

"It will make coordinating during missions easier." He acknowledged.

"Touma-kun has very good taijutsu for someone who specializes in his clan's insect battle style." I shivered remembering the way his bugs had crawled on my skin. Ugh, not the best experience and not one I wanted to repeat any time soon. It had taken all of my will-power not to set them all on fire. "Iroha-kun got me good with his Gentle Fist." Now I massaged the more prominent bruise on my left thigh, the side I tended to leave less guarded, he had left me with. Not being able to use my chakra had not been fun, there had to be a way to prevent that from happening, but I had no idea where to even start.

"It's nothing to scoff at." He agreed.

Silence fell as we retrieved the kunai, ready to go back home for dinner. Mikoto and Sasuke would, no doubt, be waiting for us.

"Have you felt it?" Itachi asked me out of the blue as we put the collected kunai inside the storage scroll.

I looked sharply up at him, a frown on my face. Did he mean the uneasy air in the compound?

"Do you mean the—" I trailed off at his nod. So he had felt it, too.

Motioning for him to be quiet for a second, I let my chakra out, sensing for anybody within hearing range. The only thing I could sense were the things that should be here: rocks, trees, some animals, and insects.

Insect.

Call it paranoia or whatever, but I would never again trust them in my life. Not that I ever liked them to start with, but I had newfound respect for them. And I was not about to put it past Danzō to be keeping tabs on Itachi or me so early on.

"We should head home." This was not something that should be discussed out in the open.

Silently, we made our way back. Inside, though, I was having a panic attack. What if it had not been paranoia and someone was actually spying on us?

This was not looking good.

* * *

"For the last time, I don't care what the other mission is, we are never again taking this one again. Ever." Screw staying calm and collected, we had spent all morning running after Tora.

The cat was craftier than any ninja I had seen in the manga and had senses that could rival Madara; the freaking cat was even faster than Shisui!

Never again was I taking on this mission without a Nara by my side, who could just grab the cat's shadow and paralyze it.

And yes, the cat was an it; it was a monster and I had the scratches to prove it. Thank all the gods out there who could hear me, Touma had used his insects to cover the devil's body, immobilizing it after three hours of pure pain and frustration. I was pretty sure that if he hadn't done that, Iroha would've Gentle Fisted it and I would've burned it to the ground, making us fail the mission. In the long run, we would've saved other teams from going through the suffering, though.

"Now, now, it wasn't that bad." Koji-sensei said, a big smile on his face. Through the coms we had hear him laugh his ass off at our attempts to catch the beast and we had not been, even a little bit, amused.

The glare and growl I sent his way only made him start laughing again and I could've sworn Raimaru was laughing at us, too.

Once Koji-sensei managed to calm down, he put a big hand on top of my head, messing up my hair even more. "Ah, little pup, that's cute. Will it help if I promise the next mission won't be so bad?"

"Yes." I grumbled.

"Okay." He turned to look at the three of us. "Your teamwork isn't bad; you guys have been one of the fastest catching the cat. There are still things you kids need to work on. Touma," He settled his gaze on the Aburame. "Very good use of your clan's jutsu, but your kikaichū could've been faster at immobilizing the target. Just like Tora, an enemy won't wait until you're ready to make your move. Iroha, good use of your Byakugan, but you need to up your speed. Kana, you are good at sensing chakra, but you can't lose your composure every time something doesn't go your way."

I nodded stiffly.

Dismissed, with the order to meet again tomorrow for training, each of us went our separate way.

The walk back to the compound was uneventful; however, once in the solitude of my room, I couldn't get what would be taking place tonight out of my head.

Fugaku had told Itachi and I we would be attending an important meeting along some important people and he expected us to be in our best behavior.

The meeting place? Nakano Shrine.

Things were not looking good.

If I could've had my way, I would've refused to go, but there was no way I could've skipped, much less when it was such an obvious order.

God, what was I supposed to do now? If things continued this way, there was no way either my brothers or I could come out without a scratch. To make matters worse, we had Danzō on one side who wanted the annihilation of the Uchiha clan to farm their eyes like they were apples ready to be plucked from their trees. On the other hand, we had Tobi, who needed all of the Sharingan users dead.

After much deliberation, I came to that conclusion. It wasn't just because 'Madara' wanted them killed because he had a grudge against them for not following him. No, but because the Uchiha, along with Yamato and Kakashi were the only ones who could control a Bijuu.

One way or another, Obito would exterminate the clan; the Uchiha wanting to revolt just made things easier for him to do so. And, how could I know if it wasn't him who had instigated the coup in the first place? Following Madara's orders, he had made sure Akatsuki was formed, how difficult would it be for him to plant the seeds of unrest into the minds of the Uchiha elders? After the Kyūbi attack and the doubt we now faced in the village, it wouldn't have been too hard.

Truthfully, I didn't know what to do.

Yes, I could try to incorporate the Uchiha back into the village by showing the people that the clan wasn't their enemy. Maybe by staging a rescue or something, but the pain and anger from the Nine-Tails' attack were too fresh in the villagers' minds to allow for reconciliation between Konoha and the Uchiha; hadn't the kids at the Academy proven that? Even the little kids, the ones not yet born, would learn to hate and distrust my clan from their parents' examples. Yes, it was my clan. As many issues as I had with them, they were still family and we took care of our own.

Who was I kidding, though? Even after twelve years and the clan gone, they had still taken their hatred out on Naruto. It had taken the fight against Pein for the kid to be seen as anything more than the fox by the whole village. What chance did I have against everyone's hatred? I was no Naruto; I could only do so much with the tools available to me and, so far, I couldn't see a light at the end of the tunnel.

It would take a miracle for everyone to change their minds about the clan. By the time Naruto would gain the village's respect, it would be too late; Itachi and Shisui would be gone from this world and Sasuke would be too, in a way.

Tears I hadn't cried since I mourned Kushina's and Minato's passing in the privacy of my own room threatened to fall. I felt useless, powerless to change anything — to save the people most important to me.

It wasn't fair.

However, I quickly composed myself when I sensed my brother approaching.

After knocking gently on the door, he opened it.

Half of his body still behind, he pronounced the words I didn't want to hear.

"It's time."


	6. Chapter 6

BETA: Cmedina1

* * *

"Sorry to make you wait." Father said, ushering us into the room, which was covered in pure darkness as Fugaku closed the sliding paper door behind him, only the silhouettes of people who had stood like one when we entered could be discerned.

Like one, four candles at the corners of the room were lit, casting a glow over the attendants.

 _Hatred_.

A sense of dread that I had pushed to the back of my mind came crashing to the forefront like a tidal wave. There was no escaping this now; there was no way I could claim ignorance now that I had been integrated into the meetings. At least, before, I could've said I didn't know what went on; however, I couldn't do that anymore. It would only take a Yamanaka a little glimpse through my mind to know I had been a part of them.

It was eerie, like it was some kind of cult meeting. In a way, I guessed it could be called that since only a selected few knew about it. It not a small group by any means, though.

My eyes instantly found Shisui standing in the back of the room. He met my gaze steadily, offering a small smile that I couldn't find within myself to return.

"Sit down there and listen." Fugaku pointed at the only open space at the back of the room.

Itachi and I obeyed, keeping our eyes on the floor as we pushed through the people as we made our way to the designated area.

"We will now begin our regular meeting." The man on Father's right announced. Yashiro was his name, if I remembered correctly; he had been over at our house many times before.

"Lord Fugaku's son Itachi and daughter Kana will also be attending the meetings from now on." He continued.

"My children are seven." Fugaku stated. "Although they have the genin status required to take part in these meetings, they are still very much novices. Due to my admittedly selfish desire to have them learn about the clan status from a young age, they have been allowed to take part. I appreciate your understanding." He bowed his head at the end of his speech, while the clan members bowed their heads like one in response.

I was dumbfounded. Was this the same man who hadn't wanted me to attend the Academy because he thought I was too young and wouldn't make it? Heh, after me graduating alongside my twin as top of the class, he sure changed his tune.

"Now then, to pick up where we left off last time, I'd like to discuss the issue of the submission of a written opinion to the Hokage, with regard to the segregation of the clan's compound."

Yashiro had barely finished speaking before the others started talking, giving their opinion on what should or shouldn't be done.

Having to listen to them talk at the same time was starting to give me a headache. Some wanted to continue to watch and see how everything unfolded, while others wanted to take more drastic measures and attack the village.

"Why must we attack?" I mumbled, however, in a room full of ninjas, it was heard by everyone, shutting them up and drawing their attention to me; I specially felt Shisui and Itachi's sharp gaze.

"Kana," Fugaku started, but I cut him off.

"We all live in this village; we are a part of it as much as it is a part of us. Sure, we're going through some difficult times right now, but the Sandaime is a fair leader, from what I've seen and heard; he wouldn't have agreed to secluding us here if someone close to him wasn't putting pressure on him to that such measures." And let the seed of doubt towards Danzō be planted. "Besides, what makes you think, if the clan revolted, it would be able to win in taking over Konoha?"

"Listen here, girl—"

"No, you listen." Unknowingly, I had activated my Sharingan as I stared down at the man who dared to interrupt me, standing. "Do you think, just because we are Uchiha, we won't suffer loses? Of course we will and they might be greater than the loses the other clans will have. We are just one clan against a whole village full of well-trained shinobi. There's no way we'll win. Have you thought about what will happen to the children?" Staring at my father, I asked. "Have you thought about what will happen to Sasuke just because he is your son? If you go through with the attack, he will be persecuted and killed at worst, brainwashed and tortured for information at best. He'll never be able to lead a normal life. Is that the kind of life you want for your child?"

Enraged, Fugaku stood, activating his own Sharingan. "Kana, that is enough."

However, I still had one more thing to say. "If you're so dissatisfied with Konoha, why don't you just make your own village?" Having said my piece, I sat back down.

"Kana," Itachi breathed hurriedly into my ear. "Your eyes."

It took me a second to understand what he meant. When it did register, my eyes became saucers. I hurriedly cut the chakra that feed the Sharingan, but the damage was already done; everyone knew I had their priced Dōjutsu.

"I think it will be best if we end the meeting here." Yashiro intoned slowly, chancing a glance at Fugaku, who nodded stiffly.

I was sorely tempted to ask if I could stay the night at Shisui's but knew it would be shot down before I could even open my mouth.

I was not looking forward to going home.

* * *

 _Smack_.

Was what I thought would greet me once we were locked safely away behind the walls of his study, however, it had not been the case. Instead, it was his desk that suffered the abuse.

"I know you don't like me." Fugaku started, his Sharingan eyes on full display, letting me know just how angry he was. As if him hitting the poor wood hadn't giving me an indication. "But I thought I taught you better than to challenge me in public."

"Public or not, you still wouldn't have liked it." I mumbled, not wanting to bring something onto myself I wouldn't have liked for provoking him, even though it was obvious I had already done that.

"Kana, you have to understand," If I hadn't known any better, I would've thought he was pleading. "I'm doing this for you; for Itachi's and Sasuke's future. I am taking them into consideration."

I glared, standing. "I fail to see how if you decide to go ahead and revolt against Konoha. The best course of action would be to either talk directly with the Hokage — not send a letter, you don't know whose hands it might fall into and it might never make it to the Sandaime — or just build your own village."

He let out a sigh, slowly shaking his head. "You are too young to understand what's going on, Kana." _Ha! If only you knew_. "However, I want you to learn. I will allow you to continue to attend the meetings as long as you don't voice such comments without first understanding the situation we are in." Had I mentioned before Fugaku was a stubborn man? No? Well, now you know.

"Hai, Tou-sama." I said stiffly. Honestly, what else could I say at this point? It wasn't like he was going to listen to me, anyway.

"The only good thing that came out of this meeting," He said, regarding me with shrewd eyes. "Is that I now know you activated your Sharingan."

Yeah, well, congratulations to you, old man, I thought hatefully. It wasn't something I would've wanted him to know in a long time and I cursed myself at my own stupid slip.

"You will bring honor back to the Clan, Kana." He continued his speech. "You and Itachi are the youngest graduates from the Academy and, through both of you, the Clan will be seen with the respect and fear it should have always been seen with. We well have our former glory back."

"Hai, Tou-sama." The words left a horrible taste in my tongue.

Bowing slightly, I got out of there, rage making my steps fall harder on the floor of the house.

"Kana?" The voice coming from the kitchen stopped me in my tracks. Turning, I saw Mikoto there, still awake.

"Okaa-san." I said, monotonously, not in the mood to hear anything from the woman who was quickly losing my love and respect. Just what kind of mother was she to let Fugaku and the rest of the clan use her children like they were doing Itachi and I? Was she in favor of the coup? I couldn't arrive to any other conclusion after recalling the woman hadn't been surprised at all the night Itachi murdered her; instead, she had been quietly sitting next to her husband, awaiting their executioner. Then again, she was a proper traditional wife, so I guess that was her role in life: to do and be whatever her husband wanted her to.

"Nothing." She said, shaking her head slightly. "Have a goodnight."

I almost let out a snort. Fat chance that, dear mother. "Hai, you too."

Flopping face first onto my bed, I contemplated what was to come. It didn't bother me so much anymore the death of the clan. It wouldn't be a big loss for Konoha, they would make do without the Uchiha, plus they had Kakashi, who had a Sharingan, on their side plus all the other capable shinobi.

I didn't know how long I laid there without moving, but the soft opening and closing of the door alerted me of someone else's presence.

I moved to the side, letting Itachi have space where to lay on comfortably.

There were no words exchanged as his dark gaze settled on me, no words passed our lips as we laid there basking in the other's presence. He didn't voice his disapproval — approval, rather — at what I had done, but I could feel it in his stare.

His presence was something I was glad for. It grounded me a little, made me focus as I replayed the meeting.

I should've stayed quiet; not said anything, then the Uchiha wouldn't feel the distrust they were bound to have now towards me, which would now be extended to Itachi since we were twins. They didn't need to know we shared the same ideals, in my opinion.

Nevertheless, if I knew my brother as well as I liked to think I did, then his voice would be heard loud and clear during one — or more— of those meetings. He wasn't someone who let others do whatever they wanted (even if they were family) at the cost of peace. It was something I admired about him, putting the happiness of others before his own.

I was not like that at all. I was selfish, acting only for my own survival and the survival of those who made it into the stone walls I had built around my heart; the meeting just cemented those more firmly. Now that I had a better idea of who I could count on, I could safely say I cared nothing for the good of the village, but for the few selected individuals that had wormed themselves into my heart before I had a grasp in the world that awaited me: Itachi, the other half of my existence, the one who had kept me grounded when I had nothing; Sasuke, though I didn't like him in the manga, he was — for all intents and purposes — my younger brother not the crazy teen driven by revenge; and Shisui, who could be more than exasperating at times, was a kind soul, someone I could count on to protect those who mattered to me if I was not around to protect them myself.

But, I would be around; at least, I hoped so.

Strength would be my greatest ally. With power, I would be able to do anything I wanted. I wasn't delusional enough to think I could take on Madara (much less Kaguya), but I could help shape a world where fighting wouldn't be the answer to everything.

I just had to survive until then.

With those thoughts circling my mind, I fell asleep.

* * *

YEAR EIGHT

"Ow! Dammit, Kana, be gentler." Complained a battered Shisui, a hiss escaping as the salve came in contact with the wound on his back.

"Then stop getting hurt, you idiot." Was my reply as I massaged the healing concoction into the wound. "Or go to the hospital if you want to be pampered."

It had become a normal occurrence for the older boy to find me whenever he came back from a mission, especially if he had been wounded, offering me the medicine to put on him.

The first time it had happened had been after our training. Itachi had gotten in a lucky shot, managing to draw a little bit of blood after he had received multiple wounds from Shisui's kunai. Usually, my older brother would take care of curing himself on his own; however, that time around, both had been beyond exhausted so, like the good younger sister and friend I was, I volunteered to do so. It seemed that had been the green light Shisui had needed to make me into his go-to nurse.

On the bright side, I learned a lot about healing without chakra (something I should probably learn just in case), so I wasn't complaining too much. But, seriously, couldn't Shunshin no Shisui be quick enough to not get a kunai to the back? Sometimes I thought he did it on purpose, just to have someone take care of him.

He said grudgingly. "It's not like I can help it, you know. I don't want to get wounded, but it's not like I can refuse the harder missions. I need the money." Was mumbled at the end almost inaudibly; it was only thanks to my refined hearing that I could pick it up at all.

My hands softened over his skin at the comment. "How's everything at home?"

Shaking his head slightly, he stared straight ahead. "Same as always."

So not that good on cash, I surmised. Even with his improved pay, Shisui was still having trouble providing for his parents. One thing I didn't— couldn't— understand was why his mother didn't work. Sure, she had to take care of his father but the man had been a ninja, he could take care of himself. Like every other person who chose to walk the path of a shinobi, he had known what it was he was signing up for; it wasn't fair to his son to be the one to carry the burden now placed on his shoulders.

I didn't express my opinion on the matter. Shisui, though eleven years old, knew exactly what he was doing; he was a mature kid, even if he liked to pretend otherwise.

I sighed.

"You're a better person than I am." I said truthfully, finishing applying the salve and getting the white stripes of cloth to dress the wound.

If I had been the one in his shoes, I didn't think I would've been able to handle the pressure for so long; there would've been fights between my parents and I over it. Pulling his mangled shirt over the now mummified torso, indicating I was done, he stood up and stretched his arms over his head.

"Are you nuts?!" I couldn't help it, I smacked the back of his head with the hands still sloppy with the salve. "Just because the wound is dressed doesn't mean it's healed, you idiot!"

Startled, he turns his head, rubbing the spot I had hit.

"Kami, Kana, don't hit too hard. I'm a recovering patient!"

I raised an eyebrow, crossing my arms. "Really? Cause you don't act like it." I deadpanned.

A mischievous smirk appeared on his face as he collected the unused strips and healing salve. "You need to relax, Kana-chan. This is nothing."

"Is that why you were whining about being in so much pain?"

"I was not." He denied, turning his nose in the air, making him seem like the dark, messy haired version of Draco Malfoy.

I snorted a laugh at the image.

Shisui, even though he didn't know what I was laughing about, gave a big smile, proud of himself, as if he had accomplished a tremendous task.

It made me feel kind of ashamed. "I'm sorry, Shisui." I said, uncrossing my arms, one hand going to rub the back of my neck. "I know I haven't been easy to hand out with recently."

It was true. The past few months I had been nothing but short of irritable and court with everyone. Ever since Fugaku started taking us to the meetings, the careful happy bubble I had built for myself started to crumble. Itachi understood what was wrong and, in his own way, tried to cheer me up, but mostly left me to my own devices whenever I got in one of those moods. Even my teammates had taken to avoiding me whenever they could; the worst part was that I couldn't talk about it with them. I couldn't tell them what the clan was planning to do and it made me feel like a traitor; the lowest of the low, because Iroha and Touma had grown on me and they felt like an extension of my small family, like two more older brothers.

Shisui just gave me a small understanding but resigned smile. It was one of the things I liked the most about him: he really understood and cared; it wasn't an act with him. If he liked something, he would say it; if he didn't, he would say it, too… Unless it was about something he thought could've been done better during training. Then he was just annoying, in my opinion, even if he meant well.

Ugh, like that one kata I kept getting a millimeter off. He would point it out like I didn't already know and wasn't trying to fix it.

"We'll find a way to stop them." He murmured.

I didn't know if he was trying to reassure me or himself, but I felt a smidgen of hope bloom in my chest. Against my better judgement, I believed him. His dark eyes held conviction in his words, as if he could see the future and knew what he said would come to pass, making me want to believe, in the end, things wouldn't turn out so bad.

With a small smile of my own, I changed the topic, informing him of something else that had been occupying my mind. "The chunin exam is coming."

He was a little surprised as his eyebrows shot up. "Damn, is it that time already?"

I nodded. "I don't know yet where it is going to be held, but I know Koji-sensei is planning on nominating us for it." It was about time, too. Three months after we became a team, Koji-sensei had given us our first C-ranked mission, which turned into complete chaos. Here I had naively thought chaos and bad luck only followed Team Seven. Obviously, that wasn't the case as I had found out. The mission parameters had been easy enough: get dirt on a sketchy politician, share the findings with the small village, get the man kicked out or incarcerated. Easy, right? Ha! Yeah, right. It turned out the man was in league with Iwa and was acting as a spy for them. Not only were we ambushed by A-ranked enemy nin, but… I also made my first kill.

Sensei, along with Iroha, had been fighting against two of them, while I protected Touma, who had been injured in the crossfire. Unknowingly, I clenched my fists remembering how the Iwa-nin had tried to kill my teammate. I had done everything in my power to keep the ninja at bay, but he was stronger and more experienced than I; if it hadn't been for Raimaru coming to our aid, I probably wouldn't have made it back home with just a couple of broken bones.

Just thinking about how that could've been the end for me sparked a fire that couldn't be put out. The nightmares didn't help either, pushing me to either break down in tears or spend the entire day researching Fūinjutsu (when I was still banned from exerting myself too much) or practicing with kunais, shuriken, Genjutsu, Ninjutsu, and Taijutsu. Every night I would make myself as exhausted as I could so I wouldn't dream, but that didn't work during the daylight hours. It was worse during those first days, but I could still see the eyes of the ninja I didn't even know the name of staring back at me unseeing —lifeless. It was why I had to get stronger. I didn't want to end up dead and that mission had been like running at top speed against a brick wall; it was a wakeup call that I didn't just have to survive the Fourth War or the Uchiha Massacre, but the dangers outside of the village, too.

Shisui chuckled, a hand coming up to ruffle my hair, which I had thrown into a ponytail to keep it out of my way as I fixed him, messing it up, effectively snapping me out of my thoughts.

I sent him a scowl. "Don't worry, you'll do fine. It's not like I've been wasting my time by training you."

I let out a snort, sarcasm dripping from my words. "What would I have done without your guidance, oh Great Sensei?!"

Shisui, on his part, only nodded sagely, as if that had been the question of the century. "You'd probably still be an Academy student." He said after a few seconds of supposedly thinking about it.

I gasped, continuing the game. "I would not! I was already better than the average genin when I got into the Academy!"

The brat let out a chuckle at my expense. "Careful there, Kana, or your shoulders won't be able to support your head for much longer."

Huffing in annoyance but rolling my eyes at him (I was not getting a big head, alright?), a smirk found its way on my lips.

Flinging a kunai from the pouch strapped to my thigh at him, I saw him barely move to evade it.

"You have to do better than —"

His words were cut short when he didn't see me in front of him anymore. Instead, against his neck, was the tip of the kunai I had thrown…

And I was holding it.

There was a self-satisfied, decidedly predatory smirk on my face as I whispered. "You should watch you back more closely, Shisui-kun."

The kid turned at an impossible speed, disarming me in the blink of an eye, but I didn't care. I had proven my point that I was no mere genin and was proud of it.

Shisui, on the other hand, looked like a fish out of the water. His mouth was slack and his eyes were as wide as saucers.

"How—" He started, just to cut himself off. "Teach me, Sensei."

Tapping a finger against my chin, I made a show of contemplating my answer.

"Maybe once you get rid of your big head." Was all I said after a few seconds of pure agony (for him, while I relished them).

"Kana, you can't do this to me!" He complained. "I'm your best friend, the one who taught you everything you know about stealth. You, knowing how much of a hero the Yondaime is for me, can't just show me his jutsu and not teach it to me!"

"Since when did you become my best friend?"

Shisui gave me a look like I was crazy. "I would've said Itachi's your best friend, but he's your twin so he doesn't count. You have no other friends beside me and your genin team and I know for a fact you spend more time training with me than you do with them, so I'm your best friend."

I huffed, refusing to acknowledge the heat that had crawled to my cheeks. "You're gone most of the time." I countered. "So, how could you know that I spend more time with you than with them. Actually, it doesn't make sense. Because you're gone for long periods of time, it would only make sense that I spend more time with them than with you!"

He gave a cheeky smile as he motioned 'no' with a finger. "See, that's where you're wrong. Do they even know you can make barriers strong enough to prevent anyone from glimpsing into this clearing or listening into our conversation, just like the one you put up around us?" He didn't even give me a chance to defend myself. "No? I thought so. You don't trust them enough to tell — show— them what you're capable of 'cause you think it'll make them feel inferior and will make them see you as one more of the 'stuck-up' Uchiha, but you show me incredible kunoichi you're becoming. I'd say that's enough proof that, besides Itachi, I'm the one you trust the most."

My throat was dry and constricted by the end of his speech. It was true, in a way. I hadn't wanted to create such a rift between my us to the point that they thought I thought I was so much better than them because I could do more than they could, so I kept myself at their level, growing as they did, then training when alone. With Shisui, though, I could train at full capacity without worrying he would resent me.

It was something else that made him so especial in my eyes.

I didn't realize I was tearing up until his hand came up to pat my head, making me blink the unwanted tears away.

"Hey, it's okay." He said softly. Suddenly, he didn't seem like the annoying kid I had had to share my brother with for the past few years.

"How do you know?" I mumbled, unsure about everything. It had been eating at me, the doubt; that nothing I did would be good enough to keep my small family safe.

He let out a snort, making me look up at his own obsidian eyes. "If there's one thing I know, is that if you're able to recreate the Hiraishin, you can do anything you put your mind to. Hell, one day you might even surpass me!"

That pulled a shaky grin from me. "I thought I already did."

Clutching at his heart with the hand that had been on my head (strangely, I missed its warmth), Shisui acted like he had been wounded beyond belief. "Ouch. Good thing for me, then, that I still keep a few tricks up my sleeves."

With a raised eyebrow, I eyed said wide sleeves that ended an inch or so above his elbows. "Those are very well-hidden trick or they already fell off."

I thought he would facepalm, but the kid just let out a heavy sigh, head slumping down.

"Kami, Kana, it was a metaphor."

"Oh, you know what that is?"

This time, he didn't try to hide the death glare he sent my way. I just laughed in his face, the previous worries long forgotten.

"Whatever." He huffed in annoyance. "Are you going to teach me the Hiraishin or do I have to go beg Itachi? I know you probably already showing him."

With one last eye roll, I made him a deal. "Don't use it unless you have no other option and don't tell anyone else. This is my jutsu and I don't want everyone to know I can do it." With good reason. I shuddered to think about what Danzō would do if he knew I had recreated a jutsu that ended over a thousand of Iwa-nin.

"Sounds good to me." Shisui could barely restrain his excitement at the thought of learning his idol's move.

His happiness was contagious and I soon found myself smiling widely alongside him.

Yes, things would definitely be alright. I had to think that.

* * *

Hey everyone!

Thank you all for the amazing reviews, it's warms my heart every time I read them :D

On another note, finally a new chapter! I hope you guys enjoy it as much as the other ones.


	7. Chapter 7

BETA: Cmedina1

Thanks for the awesome feedback!

* * *

The house was unusually quiet when I got there that evening, though I could feel the signatures of my family members' chakra in it. Like usual, Fugaku was in his study, Mikoto in the kitchen, Sasuke asleep, and Itachi was in his room.

Blinking, I went through the calendar in my head. Itachi couldn't have been home today; he was out of the village on a mission to escort the Daimyo, an honor as Father would've said.

My heart leaped in my throat and I took off running towards my brother's room, ignoring Mikoto's calls as I raced through the front door. My mind had immediately jumped to conclusions when I saw his chakra had changed slightly with my Sharingan.

' _He would've been taken to the hospital if he had been injured_ ,' my head screamed logically, but I didn't hear it over the thumping of my own heartbeat.

Throwing his door open without knocking, my eyes soon rested on the red ones of my twin.

It felt as if the air had been knocked out of me. After what felt like an eternity, but was only a few seconds, I slowly — silently — closed the door firmly behind me, never breaking eye contact.

 _What happened?_ I wanted to ask, no, demand he tell me, but the hopelessness in his demeanor told me everything I needed to know.

His teammate had died.

Slowly, as if confronting a scared animal, I reached the other side of the bed, making sure he could see my every movement. I had never been good at comforting people, much less someone who had _seen_ a teammate being killed right in front of him; I didn't know what to do, but this was my _brother_ and I was damned if I didn't at least try.

Itachi had been there for me when I broke down after I returned home from that accursed mission, holding me after the nightmares would wake me up in the middle of the night, telling me I was safe, that I had made it back. It was my turn to be there for him.

Without much prompting on either of our parts, I wrapped my arms tightly around him, feeling him shake slightly from either cold, hurt, or anger, I didn't know. The one thing I was sure of, he would tell me when he was ready.

* * *

"Why couldn't Ita come with us?" Barely above the noise around us, I clearly heard my little brother's pout.

I rolled my eyes. Had I or had I not told Itachi Sasuke would cling to him the most out of the two of us? If he hadn't believed me then, he certainly did now.

"He's resting." However, the explanation wasn't enough to satisfy the three-year-old.

"Why?"

"Cause he just came back from a very hard mission."

"I want Ita."

Sighing, I looked over my shoulder at him. As soon as we stepped outside of 'Clan lands', I had flung Sasuke on my back, dimming piggyback the safest place for him to be, leaving my arms free in case some of the villagers decided it would be a great idea to harass two lone Uchiha kids.

"When he's rested, he'll play with you."

That was all the kid needed to hear as he gave a big smile at the news, probably already thinking about all the games he wanted to play with his big brother — which most definitely excluded his older sister.

I was not jealous. Serious, I totally wasn't. Just because the little brat thought the sun rose and set with Itachi didn't mean I resented my twin…

Okay, maybe just a bit. I spent more time with Sasuke than our elder brother did, so why couldn't the squirt be as attached to me as he was to Itachi? Whatever it probably was because of some obscure male thing I understood nothing about; however, it still irritated me.

The village was lively as we made our way to the park that day. Due to the team's excellent performance in the last couple of missions, Koji-sensei had seen it fit to give us a day off. I decided to take advantage of it by spending some quality time with the little monkey I called my brother.

Sasuke had a strong grip on my neck and torso as we went through the streets, my training allowing us to sidestep the people easily. I began to wonder if we should've just taken the more direct route through the rooftops, but decided against it; we would return to the compound that way.

Even if we were within the walls of Konoha, it wouldn't stop the villagers from expressing their hate if they so wanted (hadn't the kids in the Academy proven that?) but, if there was one thing I had to do, was teach Sasuke that there was more to the Uchiha than just the Clan. As much as the others wanted to believe the Clan was all powerful and didn't need anyone other than themselves, it wasn't true.

The Uchiha, along with the others, made up Konohagakure. Each had something they contributed to the village outside of their clan techniques in battle. The Nara were famous for spawning geniuses (as lazy as they were), as well as providing medicine for the hospital. The Akimichi, need I go on about their restaurants and heavenly food? The others, well, you get the idea.

Everyone contributed in some way or another to the betterment of their home; it just so happened that Tobirama saw it fit to stick the Uchiha with the Military Police. If it had indeed been a plot to keep an eye on them — us —, we will never know until the guy was resurrected via Edo Tensei, but let's give the guy his due: he made a great decision. With the Sharingan, the Uchiha were able to catch intruders since the eyes of doom could see chakra through walls, no matter how suppressed it was, making them able to identify threats and keep the village safe. Not to mention they were doing a great job by keeping order in Konoha itself. Anyway, making sure my little brother understood that, at the end of the day, we were all part of the same village and should protect one another no matter how hard the actions themselves were (believe me, the number of times I had wanted to say to hell with it and stick a kunai where the sun didn't shine in one — or more — of those ignorant, self-important, selfish, hateful pri- ahem, people was already beyond count).

Nevertheless, no matter how much I told myself I had taken Sasuke out of the Compound so he could connect with the village, it wasn't my only objective. I didn't know exactly when my focus had changed from merely surviving to eventually manipulating the outcome. Okay, let's be real, it was yesterday when Itachi came home after that mission where he lost his teammates.

He still hadn't said anything about what had happened and I wasn't about to push him into telling me, no matter how much I wanted to know. If there was one thing I had learned in my previous life was that people needed space sometimes. They needed the time to come to terms with what they were going through, what decisions and roads to take. Space, being there for them without crowding and pushing them into a hole, was one of the best ways to help them, in my opinion (though everyone had their own ways of dealing with their loved ones); so, I just had to be patient until he was ready to confide in me.

However, just because I had the patience of a saint with him, didn't mean it translated to other aspects of life; not when I knew what was coming.

See, I never considered myself to be one of those people (or anime characters) who used people like pieces on a chessboard, moving and nudging them in the direction it fitted me the most.

' _Then why are you taking Sasuke to the park today?'_ The thought made me feel like I was Danzō, but if that was what it took, then so be it. It didn't wash away the bad taste in my mouth, though.

It was well known the other Clans weren't as anal as the Uchiha (except the Hyūga), letting their children play in the village. How was I not supposed to take that opportunity?

In fact, I hadn't been planning on bringing the little brat here at all. It wasn't every day that we got time off (honestly, I think it was because sensei wanted to give me time to be with Itachi) and I had just wanted to stay in my room and go over seals — perfecting some, fixing and starting others —; however, try as I may, I couldn't get Itachi's face out of my mind as we locked eyes the day before, his red with tomoe spinning lazily in them. It had been the face of someone ready to take on the world and, as proud as I was over him finally unlocking the Dōjutsu, I couldn't be happy; the only thing I saw was his face, older, with eyes closed and blood dripping from his mouth as he gave our little brother what he had considered his final goodbye.

Shaking myself out of the memory, I realized we had arrived at the park. Kids played on the swings and monkey bars, some on the sandbox building castles, and other running around.

Sasuke, like the monkey he was, climbed off my back (with some help), but didn't run off to the first thing that caught his attention like I had thought he would. Instead, he tackled my leg and hung on with a death-grip.

So, getting him to socialize would be a bit harder than I had anticipated. With a sigh, I prayed for strength. Why couldn't the kid just run his mouth like he usually did when it was only Mikoto, Itachi, and me?

"Sasuke." I started, prying him off my leg, and squatting to his level. It wasn't that I was particularly tall, but there was a good height difference between us at the moment.

"They're not going to eat you. Come on, they're just kids. I bet you'll have fun playing with them." Was said in the most encouraging tone I could muster.

The kid, for his part, just rapidly shook his head, making me almost let out a growl in frustration. Sasuke was not going to make my plans go up in flames even if his main element turned out to be Raiton instead of Katon like the rest of our clan. I had not spent a good portion of my morning figuring out the pros and cons of it just for him to pulverize them because he was shy.

Letting out a sigh, I resigned myself to my fate. If Sasuke wasn't going to make the first move, then I would have to.

Putting plan B into motion, I took out a set of cards from the pouch secured on my back. Shisui had taught Itachi and me sleight of hands and I was going to make him proud by using it.

"Listen here, Sasuke." I said, pulling his attention away from whatever had caught his eyes over my shoulder. Stepping away from him and angling my body so the other kids could see what I was doing, I started shuffling the cards. "I'm going to show you a card. You're going to keep that card in mind while I shuffle them again and will try to guess which one it is you're thinking about, got it?"

Eh, not the most original magic trick, but I would've bet my life the kids here hadn't seen it before.

Nodding, Sasuke focused intently on the card I presented him, his face scrunching in concentration. It was adorable.

"Now, look closely at what I'm doing." Shuffling the cards in rapid succession, I did a peripheral glance at the other kids in the park. Some had stopped running around to curiously stare at what the two Uchiha kids were doing; under the shadow of a tree, I could even spot spiky dark hair.

"Is this your card?" I asked my brother.

He shocked his head no, a slight smile pulling at the corner of his lips while I made a show of being confused I hadn't gotten it right.

Shuffling two more times, I showed him another card. "What about this one?"

Again, the brat shocked his head, laughter clear in his eyes, the smile widening as I frowned. The process was repeated for the third time. "Got it!" I exclaimed in triumph. "Is this your card?" By this time, every kid had abandoned what they had been doing and were paying us attention.

"No, nee-chan!" Sasuke laughed and I had trouble keeping my expression down as some of the kids who had wanted to know what was going on began crowding behind my brother. Slumping, as if defeated, I made a show that I was going to pull on his ear; however, at the last second, just as my fingers grazed his ear, I pulled my hand back, revealing a card perched between the digits.

"Is this your card?"

My little brother's eyes were wide as they darted between the card and me then back again, touching his own ear like he was going to find another card there. Finally, he nodded and I let my lips pull into a smile.

"How'd you do that, nee-chan?!"

Wiggling dark eyebrows, I answered in a singsong. "Secret~"

"Can you do it again?!" One of the kids, who looked remarkably like an Inuzuka, asked — demanded, rather.

I nodded with a shrug after getting permission from the kid's furry caretaker. If there was one thing I had learned about their clan, the dogs weren't just partners, they were like the other half of the person and should be treated with the same amount of respect even if they had four legs.

While repeating the process with the kid, I heard a woman say. "If I had known a trick would get him to move, I would've bribed him with one years ago!"

Three guesses as to who that was.

If you didn't get it, I don't fault you at all. If it hadn't been for the three-year-old with dark, spiky hair held by a tall ponytail that had made his way to the front of the crowd whom she was watching like an eagle, I would've never guessed this woman was Nara Yoshino.

The older, retired kunoichi was sending heated glares to her son's back, who was either ignoring or was oblivious to them. Knowing the main branch Nara men (Shikaku and older Shikamaru), I would bet it was the former.

Even more surprising, this Shikamaru was alone. There was no Chōji hanging around him. Uh, maybe they weren't friends yet? How old had they been when they met? I wondered, not sure about the answer.

The kid in front of me let out a surprised shout when I showed him his card, demanding to know how I did it, to which I replied with a wink. Honestly, I stopped paying him attention when I noticed Shikamaru had extended his hand, expecting me to give him the cards.

Blinking, I tilted my head curiously but deposited the deck on his hand. Without a 'thank you' or anything, the kid just took them and went to sit under the shade of a tree, his back against it.

"Sorry about him. I swear I have taught him better than that." A voice said behind me.

So focused had I been on Shikamaru that I failed to notice his mother walk up to us.

"It's alright," I said, offering a small smile.

Shaking her head, she looked at her child exasperatedly.

"That's Shikamaru. My name is Nara Yoshino."

With a small dip of my head, I returned. "My name is Uchiha Kana and this is my little brother, Sasuke." I motioned the kid who had glued himself to my side once again.

The Nara Matriarch looked at us with calculating eyes. "You are Fugaku's kids, aren't you?"

Lying never even crossed my mind. "Hai."

She nodded, as if her theory had been proven correct. "You might want to get your cards back before we leave with them."

Nodding, I turned back to Shikamaru, who was frowning hard at the cards that had fallen on the ground.

"You have to be faster than that." I said, walking over to him with my brother following. Even if he was three, the kid was already a genius, but his body couldn't keep up with the movements he had already figured out.

Sasuke peered at the other kid, curious at what the Nara was doing.

Shikamaru glanced up, but quickly went back to picking up the strays and rearranging the deck with a focus that could only be compared to when I was training.

My lips tilted up, amused. "Your hands and mind have to be in sync. What use is it if your brain knows what to do, but your body can't do it?"

The frown intensified on his face.

"We'll come by tomorrow again. I can teach you then if you want." I offered, receiving a diminutive nod after a few seconds.

"This is Sasuke." My little brother offered a shy wave, which was returned by another nod. "And I'm Kana. Guess we'll be seeing you tomorrow, Shikamaru-kun."

* * *

Itachi only wanted to be able to win against the masked man. He had clearly seen the three tomoe swirling around the red iris and swore, next time, Itachi would be the victorious one. It had only been because of the Anbu's presence that he had managed to survive that encounter. No, it had been because of one Anbu operative in particular.

 _Hatake Kakashi_.

The white-haired teen wearing the fox mask had managed to draw away Tenma's killer.

 _No, not draw away. More like he hadn't wanted to be found._

That had been the conclusion Itachi had come to after reviewing his memories.

His father's comments after he had returned home had cut him deeply, made him feel inadequate; lacking.

Because he didn't have enough experience — _strength_ — his teammate had died. The anger, frustration, hopelessness, and disappointment at his own inability just fueled his need — _want_ — to become stronger; strong enough that the next time he found himself in a situation like that (he knew it wasn't an isolated case and would be seeing the orange-masked man again), Itachi would come out victorious, protecting those who fought beside him.

That night, he had activated his Sharingan.

He had been able to see his parents' and Sasuke's chakra clearly through the wall that separated them and Itachi was sure, if he had concentrated, he would've seen their heart beating in their chests. However, he soon felt dizzy; his chakra being depleted. It was something he had expected to happen after seeing Kana that first time with her Sharingan, so he had let the eyes fade before he wasted anymore chakra — not that he didn't activate the Dōjutsu soon after; he had to grow accustomed to it, after all.

Unlike his sister, Itachi didn't plan on hiding his eyes from the clan, much less from other ninjas (it hadn't exactly worked out how she wanted it to). They were a part of him, what would make him feared around the Elemental Nations, make others think twice about fighting against him; they would give him the power he needed to go beyond the masked and grab hold of the darkness with his own two hands, extinguishing it. He would bring peace to Konoha and Sasuke would never have to fight.

And Kana would be right there, helping him achieve his goal.

Itachi smirked as drops of sweat rolled down his face, remembering their first day at the Academy; the first time he had shared what was in his mind. Everyone thought it absurd, no one believed he could accomplish such a thing; they had laughed and clapped mechanically as was expected of them.

But his sister did believe in him.

Their talk during lunch had cemented those feelings down. She had wondered why he hadn't just say he wanted to be the Hokage — _the first Uchiha Hokage_ — and, truthfully, his dream went beyond that, but becoming the leader of the village would make it easier to reach. To end all conflict.

And she would be standing right behind him, covering his back. Other than Shisui, there was no one else he would rather have protecting him than his twin. It would be a lie if Itachi said he sometimes felt like it should be the other way around; after all, she had unlocked her eyes before him, been using and controlling her chakra long before he had. However, Kana had made it clear she would follow him, that she only wanted to keep him safe.

Another conundrum that made Uchiha Kana who she was.

It hadn't escaped Itachi how she would sometimes look at people as if recognizing them even though she had never seen them before. The first time it had happened, he hadn't thought anything about it. Then, Sasuke was born.

He could clearly recall how she boasted their little brother (brother, like she already knew the baby would be Sasuke) would be attached to him. She hadn't been wrong. He idolized Itachi and Itachi loved him since the first time he laid eyes on him. It still left the question, how did Kana know?

The same thing happened when she met Shisui. She hadn't been as vocal about the older boy as she had been regarding their younger brother, but Itachi had _seen_. He had seen how she reacted when Shisui had introduced himself to her as if she had already known who he was and was just wanting confirmation. It didn't stop there, either. She didn't do it with everyone, but the clearest reaction had been when the Elder, Shimura Danzō, approached them after graduating from the Academy.

Itachi had joked that they couldn't feel each other's pain but, for a moment, he thought he felt her hate and fear at being in that man's presence. He still didn't know what had caused her to feel like a cornered animal being stalked by a hunter and it bothered him more than he cared to admit — especially because she _shouldn't have known him_ —, so, until the time came and she shared why she had reacted so badly, he would lock his thoughts inside his mind.

It didn't keep him from speculating, though.

However, that day, Itachi had gained valuable insight into how his sister's brain worked. She thought in variables. It didn't surprise him as much as he thought it would since he had been around sometimes when she was working on Fūinjutsu; he had seen firsthand how she tackled the seals: what she wanted them to do, deconstructing them to their basics, understanding the individual characters, _putting the variables that would work best together_.

Presenting the Elder with scenarios not even Itachi had thought of, it floored him, made him see Kana in a different light. As scared as he could see she was, she didn't cower. Kana was a genius in her own right, able to understand things — _situations_ — which Itachi hadn't grasped. He knew now what the hidden message she had conveyed to Shimura Danzō had been: _we don't fit your mold and will ask questions_. Itachi wondered what the man had thought of his sister's response. He knew Danzō had been pleased by his answer, but Kana's had displeased him; just like she had displeased the Uchiha at Nakano Shrine.

Again, Itachi had felt like she understood the situation better than he did.

 _The Sandaime wouldn't have agreed to seclude us here if someone close to him wasn't putting pressure on him to use such measures._

Their father had then talked to her and Itachi had heard every single word. He couldn't have been prouder of his sister than when she showed him her completed Hiraishin seal.

In a more basic level, Itachi understood the unrest the Clan felt at being secluded from the rest of the village for something they hadn't done. It didn't help matters in their eyes that they hadn't helped when the Kyūbi attacked the village, making them seem like they didn't care when, in reality, the Uchiha hadn't been allowed to do anything.

 _If someone close to him wasn't putting pressure on him._

 _Someone close to him wasn't putting pressure on him._

 _Close to him wasn't putting pressure on him._

 _Close to him._

 _Pressure on him._

With a 'clunk', the kunai he had been holding embedded itself on the target, hitting the center.

Wiping the sweat from his face with a towel, Itachi couldn't erase the line connecting the dots. It again begged the question, how did Kana know?

He had no evidence to back the conclusion he had arrived to, only Kana's actions and words. He knew how she spent her days and she couldn't have gotten that kind of information if she hadn't _seen_ it firsthand.

Itachi didn't keep secrets from Kana. She was his twin, the only person who believed he could do what he set out to. Not even their father thought so highly of him, as if she could see who he would become—

Heart hammering inside his chest, Itachi came to a sudden stop, kunai limp in his hand. He had been preparing to take another shot, practicing with his Sharingan, but it was as if his body's strings had been cut, leaving him unable to move.

 _Can Kana see the future?_

The thought was ridiculous — impossible —, but it _fit_.

Suddenly, the joke she had made about them graduating so fast didn't seem like a joke anymore. It was like she had _known_ all along it would happen, why she had hounded Uzumaki Kushina to teach her sealing — _because she knew the woman would die_.

The more he went over every single exchange with his twin, the more Itachi believed he had found the answer to his sister's dream to _survive_.

It wasn't as innocent as he had thought it to be once upon a time. Had she seen her death and wanted to change it? Thinking about it broke Itachi's heart. He couldn't imagine a world where Kana didn't exist, a world where he couldn't share his deepest insecurities with his sister, the only other person, besides Sasuke, whom he loved above everyone else.

 _Did she know what happened to Tenma?_

It didn't seem outside of the realm of possibilities, making him think she also knew about the masked man. When she had made her way into his room and seen his Sharingan — Red Eyes of Doom as she called them —, she hadn't asked any questions, just been there for him. It had been like she had known, understood what he had gone through, and offered her silent support.

However, _she wasn't always right_.

There was a sliver of hope in that thought. Kana hadn't been right when she said they would graduate in six months, so she might also be wrong in regard to her future.

The longer his mind wandered over the possibilities, the more he wanted to go look for her and demand answers, but he squashed the urge. It wasn't the time right now, but later—

Later, Itachi would corner her once she returned home with Sasuke.

* * *

Hey everyone!

Thank you for the amazing reviews! It makes me extremely happy to read them and know I don't completely suck at writing xD

On that note, I really hope you guys like this chapter, too.


	8. Chapter 8

BETA: Cmedina1

* * *

"Focus, Kana."

The palm aiming at my ribs was easily deflected as the sharp command from Iroha kick-started my brain into paying attention to the present.

For the last few minutes, we had been training hand to hand, which I found a small mercy considering my head was not in the training ground. Instead, it found itself in the Uchiha Compound, in my brother's room.

Itachi was acting strangely.

Don't get me wrong; he was good at hiding it, but I could tell there was something in his mind that was nagging at him. I would've brushed it off as it being because of recently losing both of his teammates except for the looks he kept sneaking my way. They started since Sasuke and I returned from the park and went throughout the afternoon and dinner. A part of me expected him to corner me in my room when everyone went to bed, the other wanted to demand he tell me what was wrong. Refraining from confronting him had never been harder and, honestly, I wanted it over with.

Just what could he'd been thinking so much about that it was literally eating at him? As far as I knew, nothing was going on that required that kind of attention from him. Unless it was about the Nakano Shrine meetings, though he had never behaved like this after one. In fact, he never behaved like this, period.

Out of nowhere, a palm connected solidly against my chest, sending me flying.

My bones cracked from the force of the blow, skin breaking as I slid on the ground. A cough racked my body as it tried to get oxygen into abused lungs.

Not a single cloud could be seen in the sky as I laid on my back; I just knew it was going to be black and blue by the time I made it to the house and would need to have someone smear the salve on if I wanted it to heal at the same time and not have to deal with the soreness on the parts I wouldn't be able to reach on my own days later.

Attempting to sit up after catching my breath took longer than I thought possible. Goddamn Iroha hadn't pulled any punches, hitting me with the full force of his Gentle Fist. The only thing I could be grateful about was that he had refrained from blocking the chakra points that fed just enough chakra to keep my bones from breaking.

"That's enough, Iroha-kun," Koji-sensei's rumble carried over to my ears as I laid unmoving, catching my breath. A part of me was grateful sensei had stopped the match, while the other snarled in anger and indignation at having been taken down so easily. It wasn't like me at all to get so distracted I lost.

"Are you alright, Kana?" The soft tone of sensei's voice next to me took me by surprise. I hadn't even noticed he moved until he was crouching next to me.

"I'm fine," I managed to wheeze out. Sensei didn't believe for a second, however. Not that I blamed him; I wouldn't have believed me either, especially when I knew, though I tried my hardest to mask it, he could see the pain through my eyes.

Without a word, he placed a green-glowing hand over the place Iroha had punched me, fixing the damage; the only sign showing his displeasure were his pursed lips. I suppressed a relieved, grateful sigh as I took a deep breath, glad my lungs weren't starving for air, not wanting to let Koji-sensei know how badly I had failed to protect myself, but I was pretty certain he knew. Thankfully, he didn't say a word about it, just gingerly pulled me to my feet, probably aware of my bruised back.

Together, we made our way back to where the other two were waiting at the edge of the training ground, under the shade of a tree.

Koji-sensei didn't have to say anything as he looked at the three of us standing to attention in front of him, a tactic he often used when he wanted to tell us something or when he was waiting for us to tell him what we did wrong. In this case, it definitely was the later of the two cases.

"She was distracted," Iroha gritted out, obviously piqued I hadn't been taking the training seriously enough for his taste.

Sensei nodded, pleased someone had started.

"Is that why you felt the need to teach her a lesson?"

The older boy nodded, never taking his eyes off of sensei, who turned to look at me as Raimaru trotted to his side also fixing me with intelligent dark eyes.

"Just because we're teammates doesn't mean I'll coddle her. The enemy won't wait for her to be focused until they attack. No, they'll take advantage of her distraction to eliminate her."

"Valid points," Sensei acknowledged, "Tell me, Kana, what do you have to say for yourself?"

I swallowed, my gaze finding the soil intriguing, "Won't happen again, sensei."

A sigh passed through his lips, "This year's Chunin exams will take place here in Suna. The three of you have already been nominated," The three of us looked at him with wide eyes. Even though we had been expecting it, having him say it filled us with excitement, "And if you accept, will be participating in it." At that, he handed us the slips for the exam.

I took mine with trembling fingers, slightly overwhelmed at the meaning. If we passed and became chunin, we wouldn't be a team anymore; each one of us would go our own way, following what we wanted to do as ninja. If we were lucky we would be part of the same team, but that would only depend on our chosen fields. So far, the only one I thought I would be seeing more often would be Iroha, since Touma wanted to become a researcher for R&D. From what I had learned of him, Touma loved solving puzzles, which made him an invaluable member of our team since he, more often than not, took the lead whenever we had to put the pieces together for our targets to make sense.

Iroha, on the other hand, wanted to continue until he made jonin; something we both had in common, seeing as I also wanted to reach the rank, except that I was fighting against time to become an S-ranked kunoichi , not just a jonin.

Honestly, it would be bittersweet whether or not we made chunin, either at the same time or not. Either way, the team would end up dissolving and, like it or not, we would be made to work with others more often than not.

Once we all had our slips, Koji-sensei nodded, dismissing us for the day with the added comment that we had a month to prepare.

I was ready to go home and take a much-needed shower when sensei called me back, "Not you, Kana."

Wondering what it could be about, I turned back to him. Since meeting him, I had never though sensei was intimidating, seeing him with his arms crossed over his chest and the blank expression on his face gave me pause. He looked like someone I didn't want to cross.

We stood silently for a moment. Me, because I couldn't get a read of his thoughts, while he sized me up, looking for something.

"Are you going to tell me what has you so distracted you weren't able to block an attack I've seen you block multiple times before?" He finally asked.

 _Oh, you know, just the impending Coup the Uchiha are planning and did I mention my brother is acting_ _strangely_ _after witnessing the death of his teammate? No? Oh, excuse me, I thought I did._ Yeah, no, I wasn't about to mention it.

"Just worried, sensei. Itachi just lost his team and I don't know what's going to happen to his ninja career now," I settled for. Better the truth, no matter how twisted it was than a lie.

He looked at me for a few seconds before he relaxed, accepting my explanation.

"I heard the boy was killed and the girl quit, deciding life as a ninja wasn't for her…" He said, leaving the sentence hanging as if waiting for me to continue it.

"Yeah, which left my brother with no team, only the jonin supervisor. I want to know what'll happen now since, obviously, he can't take the chunin exams without a team, how will he continue? I don't see my brother being a genin for the rest of his life."

Honestly, I was in the dark here, only knowing Itachi made it into Anbu but not how he got there. Would he be taken in by someone as an apprentice? I didn't know and it was eating at me.

"He could be given new teammates," Koji-sensei offered his insight, "If he's as good as you, the council won't waste his potential as a ninja by putting him in the genin-corps."

"He's better than I am," I conceded, proud of the fact.

"Then you have nothing to worry about," He said, a smile pulling at his lips, "He'll get a new team. But, he won't make the cut for this chunin exams. His teammates will have to catch up since they'd be new Academy graduates."

I nodded, not bothered by that. Koji-sensei had just taken a weight off my shoulders, small as it was, but it was still something.

"Now, run along. You need to take care of that back or you won't be able to move fluidly."

Smiling, I nodded, "Hai, sensei."

* * *

After a long bath, perfectly deserved bath, I found myself at the park again with Sasuke. Soon after we arrived, Yoshino left a tired-looking Shikamaru in our care. I was skeptical about it because, seriously, who leaves their three-year-old child in the care of an eight-year-old? No matter how mature for their age they were, children were children. Then I remembered I was in the Elemental Nations and already a genin, it was perfectly acceptable for her to leave him in my care.

For the past hour, Sasuke had been trying without much success to make Shikamaru play with him. The Nara just curled on himself and completely ignored my brother as he feigned sleep. He was good, don't get me wrong, but he still had a way to go to completely fool me.

Setting a tag on each on them to alert me if they wandered off or were in danger of falling from the swings (one could never be too careful with Sasuke once he got going), left my mind with some free time to wonder.

After leaving the Academy, I hadn't kept tabs on the kids that went there. Who was I kidding? I never even bothered to learn the names of the children I should have graduated with had it not been for skipping ahead, so I had no clue as to who would take the two vacant places in Itachi's team. Even with Koji-sensei's confirmation that Itachi would be getting new teammates, I still worried over how they would fare. I knew I didn't have to worry about my brother surviving until he was older, thanks to the manga, but I did worry about what losing more people would do to him.

Ninja life wasn't easy and I couldn't begrudge the girl, Shinko, for quitting. Sometimes, I found myself wondering what civilian life would be like (no worrying about finding a kunai stuck to my back under the enemy's hand would be nice), but I wouldn't have the training needed to keep myself alive. Sometimes, I wondered if I could just leave it all; go away and leave Konoha behind, find a small village to settle in and live the life of a civilian, only to squash those thoughts away soon after before they could take hold. I knew myself and, for as much as a quitter as I had been in my previous life, I just couldn't quit the life I had already formed. It wasn't just because I would be hunted and put down like a dog for defecting, but because I had things to do that no one else could; things that would unravel in the way the story had if I didn't do something.

It scared me most of the time, to be fair. So many times had I wanted to just quit, but I kept convincing myself I couldn't. The knowledge was taking its toll on me and Itachi acting strange years before the massacre wasn't helping.

I had promised myself I would let him come to me when he was ready to talk, but he was slowly getting under my overly tense nerves with his behavior. There had to be a way to make him talk without being obvious about it—

"You're going to hurt yourself if you continue thinking so hard."

Blinking at suddenly being pulled out of my head, it took a lot of self-control not to hurl a kunai when I noticed the speaker standing too close for comfort as he peered down at me, a smirk playing on his lips.

Letting out a huff of annoyance, I retorted from my spot sitting against a tree, "And you're going to end with a kunai up your butt if you ever sneak up on me again."

Shisui threw back his head, laughing as he took a step back, completely ignoring my treat, pulling the attention of a few of the kids and adults to us, but they soon returned to what they were doing when they didn't see anything interesting going one.

"I'm serious."

"Nah, you like me too much to even attempt to hurt me," He replied, completely at ease.

My gaze went over his form as I debated whether to use what little energy I had left from the morning training with the team to prove him wrong but decided against it, deeming the task too strenuous seeing as Shisui was in top condition and, clearly, I wasn't.

"Shisui-nii!"

"Hey there, squirt," The older boy greeted with a smile as Sasuke came running once he spotted Shisui, pulling a disgruntled Shikamaru behind him by the wrist. I held back a snicker at this expression, mentally clapping my shoulder with a hand for a job well done.

"Look, Shisui-nii, I've been practicing," Sasuke exclaimed, shuffling one of the decks of cards I had given them to entertain themselves.

Shisui paid rapt attention as my little brother went through the magic trick I'd pulled yesterday, giving him — and Shikamaru, who was paying attention — pointers on what exercises he needed to do in order for his movements to become faster.

Once he was done, the two kids started practicing like their lives depended on pulling off the trick. At least, it kept them from trouble.

Turning to me with a raised brown, "That your doing?" He asked, settling beside me and leaning against the tree trunk.

I raised an eyebrow in response, "Can you blame me?" There was no point in pretending I didn't know what he was talking about.

He chuckled, "No, I've been around Sasuke before. I can do with him being distracted by something else."

That made me laugh. Yes, a bored Sasuke wasn't one anyone wanted to be around.

"Who's the other kid?" He asked, curious, "Haven't seen him before," Narrowing his eyes, he took in Shikamaru's appearance and body language, "He looks like a Nara," Was the conclusion he came to as he blinked his eyes in confusion, frowning a little.

"Do you have a problem with that?"

Shaking his head, he answered, "No, just surprised. The Uchiha don't usually mix with the other clans unless it's for a mission. Even then it's rare; there aren't a lot of Uchiha who don't go into the police."

I nodded at his explanation, offering my own, "I brought Sasuke to play here yesterday. We met Shikamaru and his mom, Nara Yoshino, who left him under my care today."

Those dark eyes snapped to mine, his mind taking in what I wasn't saying with a shrewdness only a veteran at reading between the lines and knowing me would understand.

"You mean to say," His tone had exponentially lowered to only a barely audible whisper which had me straining my ears to hear him, lips barely moving, "You took Sasuke out of the compound to make friends with the other clans' kids to see there is more than the Uchiha. You made the Nara Matriarch confident she could leave the clan heir with you in less than a day."

The blink I gave him was all the answer he needed as he slumped against the tree, arms folding over his chest as he closed his eyes deep in thought. I couldn't fault him, I still didn't understand what I had done to make Yoshino comfortable enough she could leave her son in my care.

I continued to watch the kids. Sasuke dropping his cards while Shikamaru had better luck executing the trick; with more practice, he could be really good. Then again, the kid was patient and Sasuke certainly wasn't, which was bringing him down. That was something I needed to fix in my brother; impatience was good, but being patient was more rewarding.

"Just what are you planning, Kana?"

The inquiry was said so softly I wouldn't have heard it if I hadn't been sitting right next to him.

Shisui, for his part, was focused on me when I turned my head to look at him again.

Lightly patting his shoulder, I offered him a small smile, "Nothing for you to worry about."

* * *

Patience was something Itachi had in spades. He had needed to be patient in order to access his chakra, to be old enough to start training, go through the Academy (not that he had had to stay the required amount of years there), learn katas, how to best throw kunai and shuriken, learn jutsus—

Get promoted to chunin.

Now, he needed to be patient to get two new teammates who would slow him down as they would be fresh out of the Academy; it was the last thing he needed, but it was something he would endure to get to the next rank.

However, meeting the new additions was the furthest thing from his mind as he patiently waited for Shisui to arrive at the cliff overlooking the Naka River, the place they usually met.

No one knew he was there, except for the older Uchiha, whom he had contacted via crow. It had been a stroke of luck Shisui had been in the village, having finished his mission in less than the allotted time.

"Yo," The greeting came behind him, slightly to his right, but Itachi wasn't fazed, already used to how fast the older boy could move.

"You were right, there's something going on with Kana."

At this, Itachi opened his eyes and turned to look at the young boy he had come to consider his closest friend.

Shisui had a frown marring his face, making him look older than the eleven years he was. It was obvious he was deeply thinking about something; Itachi wasn't left guessing long.

"She took Sasuke to the park."

That Itachi had known about and wasn't sure where Shisui was going with it, so he waited to hear the rest of what was bothering his friend.

"Sasuke was playing with a kid. They were learning some trick she showed them with the cards, which requires fast hands. That wasn't what confused me, though," Shisui continued after drawing a breath, looking straight at Itachi, "The kid's a Nara; not just any Nara from the branch family, though. No, she got Sasuke to befriend the Nara Clan's heir, whose mother left under Kana's care."

That, that was not something he had been expecting.

"How—" He started, only to be cut off.

"That's what I asked her, but she claimed not to know either why the Clan's wife thought it prudent to leave her only child, and heir, with an Uchiha," Clearly, it baffled Shisui as he ran a hand through his messy hair in agitation.

Itachi thought about it for a moment, taking a second to organize his thoughts, "She wants Sasuke out of the Compound."

"Of course she does," Shisui agreed with a snort, though a scowl made his face home, "She wants him as far away from talks of the coup and your father as possible. I don't need to be a genius to know that. Everyone who was at the meeting and has a working mind would arrive to the same conclusion, but I feel like she's trying to get something else out of it."

Shisui started pacing, unable to keep still as he wracked his brain for a possible — and plausible — answer, hands making his hair messier than it already was.

Meanwhile, Itachi thought his sister was right in getting Sasuke as far away from their home as she could, using the excuse of going to the park was a good way of integrating him into the village, though he couldn't help but think, like Shisui, that she had an ulterior motive for doing so; however, at this time he couldn't see it. For now, it was enough that Shisui shared his views.

After a long while of indecision, Itachi had finally confided in the older boy his thoughts about Kana. To say Shisui hadn't believed him would be an understatement, but he hadn't needed much convincing after the seed had been planted. Especially after he recounted to the older boy their first meeting with Danzō, whom Shisui, in no uncertain terms, told him to not trust.

"We would need to catch her at it," Shisui mumbled, not once stopping his pacing, "She would have to do or say something that she shouldn't know for us to be able to have a solid footing to question her, but she could cover it up with a lie."

Itachi raised a brow at that, "She has done and said things she shouldn't know about."

Shisui waved him off, "I know, but she could comment on it just being your imagination," Stopping, he rounded on Itachi, suspicious, "Are you sure it's not your imagination playing tricks on you?"

"It's happened too often for it to be my mind playing tricks on me," He answered, the sigh he wanted to release never making it pass his lips.

Shisui let out a sigh for him, again shoving a hand through his hair, "I know, but, if you're right, she would be in constant danger if anyone heard about it."

That had been what had given Itachi pause in confronting his sister the night before, having her confirm it would make him worry about her even more than he already did. Suddenly, he was glad he had taken a page out of his sister's book and put a barrier around them, keyed only to the two of them; one of his own creation, though Kana had kept an eye on the seal as he did it.

"I know, which is why we cannot let anyone else figure it out."

Nodding, Shisui turned back to pacing, "We would need her to tell us what she knows or we won't be able to protect her."

Itachi almost wanted to snort at that, "If she hasn't said anything so far, what makes you think she will?"

"She will," The older boy said with a confidence Itachi wasn't feeling, "The mind can only take so much before it's looking for help. If you're right, the knowledge will get to her and she will go to you."

Yes, that was something Itachi could see happening, but would it?

"She has to know what happens to the clan if negotiations fail."

Itachi shocked his head at that, "Not necessarily. She knows things, but she doesn't know it all."

Shisui rounded on him again, "Then why keep Sasuke away? Sure, to keep him ignorant, but there's something that doesn't make sense here."

Itachi didn't have an answer for that, though he agreed with Shisui. There was something Kana knew, something he felt they needed to be ready for.

As the two of them contemplated their next course of action, Itachi hoped against all odds it wouldn't be too bad.

* * *

A/N:

And another chapter!

Thank you everyone for reviewing and for being patient with this chapter, it's been a couple of months. I thought it would be shorter, but it surprised me when I noticed how long it had gotten since I had a little trouble at the beginning, but the muse came through lol

Like usual, I really hope it meets your expectations :)


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